Wednesday’s Child: Kenzie, 15, loves reading fiction; hopes to find her forever family
Mar 29, 2023, 2:01 PM
SANDY, Utah — Visiting a salon can be a much-needed escape. It can be a place to relax and make a new friend. While visiting Salon Dante & Day Spa in Sandy, 15-year-old Kenzie did all of the above.
“I like the sparkle red,” Kenzie said while picking out the nail color for her manicure. “The checkers are cute!”
At first, Kenzie was a little shy, but after several minutes of chatting with nail technician Jasmine, she began to talk about some of her favorite things.
“I like watching Vampire Academy or the Vampire Diaries,” she said. “Anything with a wolf. I love wolves.”
Kenzie also enjoys reading fiction, vampire fiction. And yes, she’s read all of the Twilight series.
“Jacob was my favorite,” she said.
Kenzie has lived in foster care since she was 3 years old. At the age of 10, she was adopted, but that didn’t work out and she returned to state custody.
Kenzie said the most difficult part of living in foster care is the unknown.
“Mostly just feeling lost, like you didn’t know where you were going to be next, or if you get kicked out, you don’t know where you’re going to be sleeping the next day,” she said.
Kenzie describes herself as protective. She said she doesn’t often talk about her journey in foster care because she worries her friends won’t understand how difficult it’s been for her.
“Unless they’re in foster care, I don’t think so. They say they understand, but unless you’ve lived it, you don’t.”
Despite one broken adoption, Kenzie still has hope that her forever family is waiting for her.
“I do want to find a family,” she said. “Because I feel like everyone deserves a family; it just has to be the right one.”
Kenzie needs a family that will be patient with her and is willing to stick with her through the hard times. She also needs a home that will support her passions and encourage her dream of becoming a paramedic.
“I just decided I wanted to be a paramedic to help other people,” she said. “I care about people a lot, more than I care about myself.”
To learn more about Kenzie, please contact Raise the Future at 801-265-0444.
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