ROUND ROCK, Texas — Growing up in the Texas foster care system, 15-year-old Misty has learned how to fend for herself. She entered into the system when she was nine years old.
"Whenever I actually got taken away and my parents' rights were terminated, it was scary for me. Kids bullied me and stuff for knowing that, and I would let them put me down," Misty said. "I've grown a lot since then."
She explained what it was like being removed from her parents' home as a young girl and how, even now, she still has love for them.
"Kids that aren't in foster care don't really know what its like being in the system. So they don't know how hard it is to actually get your parents taken away from you whenever they're so loving and so kind, but they also have their own problems," Misty said.
Misty is a very bright girl. She does well in school and is always up for a challenge.
KVUE's Hannah Rucker met up with her at Escapology in Round Rock, where each escape room has its own theme. Together, the two were able to navigate through the "lost temple."
"Being good in school means you don't really need help. You can be on your own and be able to do stuff," Misty said.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet Misty
Misty loves animals, and she wants to go into the military and eventually become a veterinarian.
"I like animals more than people. It's kind of weird, but I do," Misty said.
She's also very goofy. You can often find her making funny faces and sounds, and she loves "Spongebob."
"In the early episodes, Spongebob wasn't very independent and he relied on a lot of people for help and decision making. But as time went on, he was able to grow into himself. I feel the same way about myself," Misty said.
Overall, Misty hopes to find a forever family to help her through high school and college.
To learn more about Misty 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.
Photos by Lewis Guapo from Wolves Photography.
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.
MORE FOREVER FAMILIES: