Hi, my name is Anita. While we’ve never met, my heart goes out to you, as I know you are
in the process of making very important decisions for yourself and your child. I’m grateful
that you’d like to learn a little about me and consider how I might fit into your decisions.

Experiences like caring for my younger brother, looking after all of my cousins at family
gatherings, and doting on my friends and their children have taught me that I have a lot of
love to give and that I truly enjoy loving the people around me. Just as I've treasured my
relationships with family members and friends, I would treasure the opportunity to develop a
nurturing relationship with a child. I think children are such bright lights, and I would be so
grateful to encourage and celebrate the discoveries and passions of a child learning to walk
through the world.

Growing up on the East Coast, I’ve always had an appreciation for a fast pace and four
seasons. My childhood pictures are all blurry—I could never stay still for a shot. For a long
time, I was the only girl in my neighborhood and used my imagination to lead all the boys as
“Wendy” from “Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.” We’d trek through the woods in the
summertime and make snow forts in the winters. I’m still the same in a lot of ways: I am a
ball of energy and am the only adult in my friend group able to keep up with their toddlers. I
enjoy spending as much time as I can outside, and I have an imagination fueled by
books that I would love to share with a child.

Out of a desire to help my family members and friends when they were sick, I became a
doctor. More than the science, my favorite part of this job is connecting with my patients and
their loved ones in their times of greatest need. This is such a special privilege. My career
brought me to the Midwest, where I hope to build my family.

I love my home. It’s a warm, quaint cottage with plenty of windows and a small, fenced-in
yard with an apple tree. My friends' kids have taught me where all the best hiding spots are
in the house: the bottom of the toy closet, behind the couch in the playroom, and, of course,
under all the beds. The majority of my waking hours are spent in the kitchen, where I love to
cook and bake for my friends and their families. Everyone tends to congregate around the
stove and keep me company as I bread chicken or melt chocolate.

My suburban neighborhood is filled with young families, whose children attend the
elementary school a few blocks away. They are always eager to make new friends, and
remind me of my old neighborhood friends. There are also several playful dogs in the
neighborhood; one of my neighbors dog-sits Minnie and the rest of her pack during the day.
There is a strong sense of community, with summer nights spent hanging out in each
other’s yards, block parties, and a Halloween costume parade.

I am biracial. Among the many lessons I learned from my exposure to different cultures,
traditions, and ways of family life was that you can never have too many people who love
you. My childhood home was usually full of friends and relatives from varying backgrounds
and walks of life, some of whom stayed with us for months or years at a time, and I enjoyed
living and growing up with this big, chosen family.

“Family” became a word I learned to use generously. I now treat my work friends like my
siblings and their children like my nieces and nephews. Though we all met at work, these
friends are more than just colleagues; they represent my support system in the Midwest.
We've spent much of our time outside of the hospital together—picnicking in local
parks, grocery shopping in bulk at Sam's Club (I have enough ketchup to last a lifetime),
celebrating birthdays with way-too-big cakes, and gathering around each other in times of
both joy and hardship.

My “sisters” from school live all over the country. Yet, we’ve continued to share the ups and
downs of life together and visit with each other regularly. We know that we will
certainly each have a place in the other’s life as “aunty” to the children.   

I have a little beagle named Minnie who's a favorite among the kids in the neighborhood,
enjoys lounging in the sun, and diligently taste-tests all my baked goods.

I am rarely a doctor outside of the hospital. I prefer to spend my free time with my family,
read, or take pictures. Sharing these hobbies with the children in my life has already made
them all the more magical for me.

I enjoyed reading Disney fairy tales and have kept the original copies of these books to
share with a child. More recently, I’ve built a library of stories that I feel aren’t told
enough—novels by powerful authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Toni Morrison, who
weren’t represented in the required reading lists I remember from school. I would love to
use this library to begin to teach a child about diversity of experiences. I would also love to
help create a library of his or her own, filled with books that bring joy and reflection.

Particularly in this day and age, I think no one is too young to be a photographer! While I
personally enjoy taking pictures of flowers or landscapes, I’m always so curious to see what
catches a child’s eye. Besides books, Kodak cameras are my favorite presents to give my
nieces and nephews because I know the cameras will be put to use immediately after
they’re opened and it’s heartwarming to be a part of that first experience.

Additional Interests:
 In the kitchen: cooking, baking, making jam
 Outdoors: basketball, hiking, road trips
 On the town: ballet, live jazz performances

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn a little about me as you decide the next best
steps for you and your child.

Throughout my life, I've really cherished chosen family--from the friends and relatives who
stayed in my childhood home, to the work friends and neighbors I spend time with now.
Getting to know and love people of different backgrounds, with different experiences and
stories, is a part of who I am. To me, choosing to form a lifelong bond with another family
through adoption is the most natural way to build my own family. 

With so much love and care,
Anita