Sanya

Hi, I’m Sanya from Riverside, California. I think that adoption is a beautiful gift and the most selfless act from a birth mother. I have always wanted to be a mother and have chosen adoption because I have so much love to give and would love to be a blessing to a child. My hope is that we will make a connection that you are comfortable with allowing you to decide how much communication you would like to have during and after the adoption process. Ultimately the choice resides with you, but your child will always know their adoption story and how much love was involved on both sides of the decision.

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me.

My family, culture, and faith have all helped to shape me into the woman I am today. I grew up as the youngest of six children in a small Pennsylvania suburb. However, I’ve lived in California for 17 years now and I absolutely love it here. My family is very important to me because they help me to feel supported and that I have someplace I truly belong.

My culture has shaped who I am as an African-American woman and I have always felt comfortable in my own skin. Although I went to predominantly white schools growing up, it taught me how to get along with people of all different races. I learned how to be myself and allow others to be who they are as well without trying to change them. I love diversity and appreciate the differences that are present in my friends and colleagues. And, my faith is where I feel my heart has found its home because with God everyone is welcomed and loved.

I’m excited to introduce my future child to all of my hobbies! I really love baking, especially around the holidays. I started baking around the age of 12 and I can make about 10 different types of Christmas cookies. My favorite cookie is oatmeal-chocolate chip, which I often box up as gifts to give to friends and family.

I enjoy playing the piano and singing. I took both clarinet and piano lessons as a child and sang in the choir at church. I also enjoy musical theater and often attend various plays and musicals at The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

I absolutely love traveling and have a travel bucket list as well! Growing up, one of my favorite traditions was our yearly family vacation and I’m excited to continue this annual tradition with my future child as well.

Five Things I Will Teach My Future Child:

• It’s okay to cry
• Fairytales are not real life
• Kindness and compassion are important
• Love God
• Love people

I live in Southern California and the weather is beautiful most of the year. I love that I can travel to the mountains and the beach in the same day which provides endless options for a weekend trip. Both Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead are close-by mountain retreats that I have visited. There’s also Disneyland, Universal Studios, Legoland, The Discovery Cube, and The San Diego Zoo to name a few of the places that I cannot wait to enjoy with my future child.

As an educator, my future child will have the option of attending either the excellent schools in the district I live in or the district I teach in.

5 Places in My Community I Love and Why:

• The Lavender Festival: There are beautiful fields of lavender and tons of lavender products to try!
• The Cherry Festival: It’s like a giant fair with musical performances, food and rides.
• Market Night in Redlands: There are tons of things to eat and products to purchase there.
• Yucaipa Community Park: There are tons of walking trails, tables, playgrounds, tennis courts, etc. that the whole family can enjoy.
• Noble Creek Park has a dog park and tennis courts that are great for exercise, but it’s also a place where movies in the park are shown in the summertime.

More About My Career: My teaching career has helped me to see how much I enjoy working with children and teens. I realized that having a deep sense of purpose in my work is very important to me.

I desire to motivate and inspire my students and to be a role model for them in what I say and do inside and outside of the classroom.

My Friends Say This About Me:

“I believe one of the most important roles of a mother is one of a nurturer. Sanya is very loving and supportive. She has good communication skills and has a great sense of humor. Sanya’s future child will be fortunate and blessed to have her as a mother.” ~Carol

“Sanya has a huge heart for others and has more love to give than I have seen in any person in a long time. She is a woman with a strong moral compass, intelligence, and on top of this, she is also extremely fun, energetic, and outgoing.”

~ Ruby

“Sanya is a very thoughtful, giving, caring, and spiritual person. She is a hard-worker who takes her commitments seriously, but at the same time, she likes to have fun. Sanya will be an outstanding mother!” ~ Michele

“Sanya is caring, kind, loving, and understanding. She goes out of her way to nurture all of the children in her life- in the classroom, in her family, and her friends. She has worked hard to provide a home and environment where a child can thrive. Sanya is fun, creative, and loves to share a variety of cultural, geographical, and life enriching experiences with the children in her life.” ~ Nicole

My family is a great source of joy for me. I have a pretty big family with four older brothers and one sister. Most of them live on the East Coast, except for my brother, Raymond, who lives near me here in California. He’s the reason that I moved to California years ago and I love spending time with him and his fiancé and their children, Xavier (5 years old) and Jalen (11 months). My mom, Barbara, passed away eight years ago, but my dad, Earnest, is still alive and I see him a few times a year. My dad is from a family of thirteen kids, so I have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins that I stay in touch with.

I have lots of friends here in California who have become my village and they cannot wait to help me welcome a new child into our group. Many of them have children of all ages, so I know that I will be able to attend family friendly events with them and they will always have my back with good parenting advice.

A Few of My Favorites and Fun Facts

• My Nickname: Sunny
• Childhood Activity: Playing kickball
• Children’s Book: Where the Sidewalk Ends
• I’d Like to Meet: Ruby Bridges
• Hobby: Scrapbooking
• Languages I Speak: English and Spanish
• Musical Instrument I Play: Piano

Celebrating the holidays with family…I simply love it! The holiday season for me begins with Halloween. I normally spend that time passing out candy to the children in my neighborhood.

My birthday is the next day and that’s the kickoff for the Thanksgiving season. I alternate between going home to Pennsylvania to spending the holiday with my dad, brothers (Leland and Anthony) and all of our extended family or staying here in California to celebrate with my brother, Raymond and his family.

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I will often drive to see the Thoroughbred Christmas Lights in Rancho Cucamonga. There I find the most beautiful decorations and friendly neighbors selling hot chocolate and churros for the kids to snack on. I also love watching Christmas movies throughout the season and singing Christmas songs, too!

On Christmas Eve my family and I attend church and then spend Christmas day together sharing gifts and some of my famous cookies!

A Few Last Thoughts for You: I will raise your child with all of the love and nurture that I have in my heart. I will be there for them whenever they need me. I will carefully consider their feelings and teach them to be true to themselves. I will equip them with social-emotional skills in order to teach them about resilience, as well as balance. I promise to provide them with a myriad of opportunities to help them find their passion and their true purpose in life.

I’m excited to be their first teacher who will prepare them to be an excellent student both inside and outside of the classroom.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn a little about me and many blessings to you.