This Tuesday, I began a ten-week fellowship with The National Center for Adoption Law and Policy at Capital University Law School. A mere two days earlier, I graduated with a bachelor’s in strategic communication from The Ohio State University. In addition to the logistical changes that came along with this switch, there was a psychological shift taking place as well. In less than 48 hours, I went from being a student bogged down with homework and tests to an adult with my own office and no one looking over my shoulder. This newfound liberation spurred a mini-identity crisis and caused me to reevaluate who I really am.

One of the biggest things that has constructed my identity is my family and I have always known that they play a large role in my life. But the awareness of this fact within the context of NCALP, a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping children who don’t have families, really made me stop and think. What if I didn’t have a family? Who would I fall back on in times of crisis? Where would my identity come from?

These questions are more than just words on a screen. These questions are far too real for the more than 100,000 children in the United States who are without a permanent family. And although this is a heartbreaking realization, it reminded me that I am in the right place.

– Ann, NCALP