DALLAS — As a child in foster care, it's common to want to focus on the future instead of the past.
Zariaya is a 14-year-old girl who is hoping to make her future bright.
When Zariaya came to the Dallas Zoo, she was looking for a sign of hope.
"I lost hope for many days. Nobody has hope in me so why should I hope in myself? Why should I believe in myself when nobody believes in me?" she said sadly.
On the day WFAA met with Zariaya she found out she had to move to another foster home - again.
"This will be my 9th year in care and it kind of sucks because you want to find a family but at the same time there's not many options out there for kids my age," she said.
Yet, even after more than half her life in foster care, Zariaya isn't angry but rather grateful for the social workers who have raised her.
"People have come here and they have brought me up and they have lifted me up and today I am the person that I am because of CPS. CPS has made me who I am," she said.
Even more beautiful, sometimes mother nature has a way of telling us everything is going to be OK.
"The gorilla believed in me. It came over and sat by me today and we kinda had a conversation and it was really special to me," she said.
A female gorilla's motherly instincts kicked in when she locked eyes with Zariaya. As the entire group gasped in disbelief, the gorilla walked right up to Zariaya on the other side of the glass window as if to say, "I see you."
"I wanna be your friend," Zariaya told the gorilla. Then she added "I want to be adopted. I want a family."
Zariaya wants a family she can lean on and who will love and accept her for who she is.
"I want to be able to open up to them about anything and tell them anything."
If an animal at the Zoo can inspire hope in Zariaya, imagine what a family could do.
She told WFAA she would cherish the special moment with the gorilla. Most importantly, Zariaya says the gorilla taught her an important lesson.
"To never give up," she said.
If you are interested in adopting Zariaya, please Call EMPOWER – (833) 7FOSTER press * or email wednesdayschild@3empower.org. Please make sure to write Zariaya's name within the subject line.
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