Congratulations to the 2023 Holt Adoptee Scholarship Winners — Dibora Holland, Maren (Mimi) Albano and Olivia Naser.
In 2023, we asked adoptees to submit a creative work responding to the prompt, “Dear Birth Family…” This topic was chosen by adoptee professionals who work in post-adoption services, and approved by social workers within the department. They chose this prompt in order to offer adoptees creative freedom in a safe environment to tell their story and describe their adoption journey. What these adoptees came up with is remarkable!
Dibora was adopted from Ethiopia. See her poem, entitled “Dear Birth Parents,” below!
Dear Birth Parents,
You gave me the gift of life
But that doesn’t make me love you
I am thankful for your difficult decision
But how does one give their child away out of the blue
I feel resentful and confused
I question how you give a helpless 3 year old away
I try to work up the courage to text you
But I have nothing to say
Anger floods my body each year when I see the birthday messages
You don’t get to celebrate the absence of your daughter
You made your decision fifteen years ago
All the anger that fills my heart is like an overflowing cup of water
As hard as the decision may have been
I am grateful for the outcome
I have a family that is perfect for me
I’m proud of the person I have become
You gave me the gift of life
But that doesn’t make me love you
You gave me the gift of being adopted
And that is what makes me love you
Sincerely,
Dibora
Did you know Holt provides support to all adoptees?
Every adoptee has a unique and complex life experience. Holt strives to support all adoptees, regardless of their placing agency, by providing help with birth search, citizenship and more.
How can my daughter apply for a scholarship for 2024?
Hi Debbie, keep an eye on your email and our social media pages! We announce each year’s scholarship contest several times in both places. Here is the adoptee scholarship page, to check on: https://www.holtinternational.org/post-adoption/adoptee-scholarship/ I believe that we plan to announce next year’s prompt in January or February, and submissions are usually due by June.