When junior Michael Leider was two and a half years old, he was adopted by his parents. Leider was originally from Detroit. Since then he has been with his adopted parents. Leider is grateful for being adopted, he is happy that he has food and a roof over his head.

There are approximately 135,000 children adopted in the United States of America each year. Almost 60 percent are from welfare foster homes and and about 25 percent are from different countries, the rest are are relinquished American babies.

Like most kids who were adopted, Leider is pleased with the fact that he was adopted. The majority of kids if they were not adopted would have a completely different life or might not even have a life.

“It kinda helped me because, if I wasn’t adopted I don’t even know where I would be right now, because Detroit’s not a fun place,” Leider said.

Leider met his birth mom when he was six years old. Leider had some questions for his mom, such as where his origins were and who his birth grandparents are. He also just really wanted to know about his family in general.

“I wanted to know the traits of the family or if there were like any health problems running through the family,” Leider said.

After Leider asked his birth mom he found out that he was mostly Eastern European and 50 percent German. Leider also was told that his ancestors came to the U.S.A in 1926 due to the first world war. Leiders birth dad was a mix of South African and Swedish, which surprised Leider. Leider was also informed by his birth mother that his dad’s side of the family were very tall people, with Leider’s birth father standing tall at 6’ 9”.

Leider can feel a difference in relationship between his birth mom and his adopted parents. He understands that his adopted parents are his parents and that they took him in and gave him a home. But Leider still feels like he can not recreate the relationship between a child and their birth mom.

“It’s not as vital of a relationship compared to the one I have with my birth mom, because I  know I am related to her. She shares the same traits and everything as me, where is my adoptive parents don’t really. Sometimes it feels like they don’t understand as much because they are not blood related,” Leider explained.

Leider does believe being adopted was a good thing for him. His mother already had a big family and was also dealing with a drug dependency. So those two combined would not have been a good lifestyle for Leider. Leider is thankful for that he was brought into a smaller family and a stable household, that has better rules and better judgments on a lot of things.

“I wouldn’t have been adopted I think based on my experiences with my birth family, I don’t think I would be as successful in school and in sports just because they have a much different lifestyle, in Detroit than my adoptive family has here,” Leider said.

Anya Ani Bailey

Senior Anya Ani Bailey was adopted from Armenia at the age of three. Bailey does not know or have any contact with her birth parents. Bailey is not upset that she does not have any contact with her birth parents; she believes not knowing her birth parents makes her relationship with her adoptive parents stronger.

“I don’t have a drive to meet my birth parents just because they are not my parents, my adoptive parents are. But I think for some people that they want to, or if they knew their birth parents they would have a lot more questions and like be like not fully in the relationship with their parents like their adoptive parents,” Bailey said.

Bailey is happy that she was adopted, she is very thankful that she has a group of friends and family. She is very thankful for what she has, because she knows that where she came from she would not have the same possibilities. Bailey is even working on a non-profit organization to help people that are facing the same adversities as she did.

“It’s a good thing because I have a life here in America, I could possibly be dead. I think it was good that I was adopted… I’ve learned how to value things more than other people value things because I wasn’t always given like everything I got,” Bailey explained.

Bailey believes that there are some things one should just not ask an adopted person such as “why did your parents give you up” or tell them that “their family gave them up.” She wants people to know that asking these types questions or telling these kinds of things to a person who is adopted can be hurtful, because not all people who are adopted know these answers and some people just assume they know.

“So don’t really ask those questions that like, that they wouldn’t want to answer either,” Bailey said.

Bailey thinks highly of adoption, she has been through it and knows what is like and knows how it could have ended differently for her. She hopes adoption rates increase so more children find a home instead of getting kicked out at the age of 16 from the orphanages. Which is also why she started her non-profit organization HOYT.

“I would love for everyone to adopt one kid so people who don’t have a home do get a home. Because millions of people who are left in orphanages can have a home like I did,”  Bailey said.