AUSTIN, Texas — Bump, set, spike! Alizeah dominates on the volleyball court and wants to keep practicing her skills to get even better. Off the court, she hopes she also hits an ace in finding her forever family.
"It is something that will really set me forward to be successful, to believe in myself and believe that I am worthy," Alizeah said.
The 16-year-old spent the afternoon getting some tips from Jhenna Gabriel, the setter for the University of Texas Women's Volleyball Team, at the Southwest Family YMCA in Austin.
While Alizeah already had the volleyball basics down, Gabriel helped fine-tune her serves, sets and spikes.
Meet Alizeah, a sporty 16-year-old looking for her forever family
Alizeah claims she is typically quiet until you got to know her, but we saw something different. She opened up to the entire KVUE crew within a few minutes and started cracking jokes. A lot of them!
If Alizeah jokes with you, she says that is how she shows she cares. When it comes to her family, she says it is filled with people she loves and trusts, and not necessarily people who have the same biology as her.
"The people I do call family, they are equal as if they were blood," she said.
Alizeah is a sweet and loving girl who is upbeat and has a contagious smile. She has a plethora of hobbies other than volleyball. Her favorites include shopping, playing video games, arts and crafts and doing make-up.
One fun fact about Alizeah is that she also loves squirrels and believes it is the cutest animal she has ever seen. She could watch them for hours roam trees and live their lives.
"They remind me of my thoughts, how they are bouncing back and forth. That's how squirrels are. They are just hyper and crazy," Alizeah said.
Alizeah loves all animals and believes they deserve the best treatment. Someday, her intelligence will get her into a great college where she might make a career out of helping animals as a veterinarian surgeon.
However, she believes the world is her oyster and she does not have to make that decision quite yet. She is also considering being a surgeon, therapist or criminal psychologist.
"I know I want to make a difference," she said.
While Alizeah knows her future is bright, she says having a family will give her more confidence in herself.
"I think the part of me that is missing, it would really fill that and help me have the chance to be a kid and not have to grow up fast," she said.
Alizeah describes her perfect family as having a mother and a father, and would love to be the only child, but is open to having a sibling.
She hopes her family is aware of her struggles and respects how she processes her feelings. Her one true desire is to find a family that loves animals as much as she does.
She would like an active, healthy and energetic family who is able to travel to new places.
To learn more about Alizeah or to put in an inquiry to adopt her, visit her page on the Heart Gallery of Central Texas.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
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