It seems like almost everybody knows somebody who was adopted, be it a friend, a classmate, or a relative. Perhaps you have questions about adoption, but are afraid to ask for fear of seeming intrusive.

“People have a lot of misconceptions about adoption,” Logan Ejupi, junior, said.

Three students opened up about their adoption experience, sharing their stories, answering lingering questions, and debunking misconceptions.

Logan Ejupi

For Logan Ejupi, junior, it was not “surprise! You’re adopted,” as he puts it.

“My parents were very upfront with me about the whole process,” Ejupi said. “They didn’t want me to have any delusions about it. They were always very honest.”

Ejupi’s parents adopted him when he was three days old from his eighteen year old birth mother in Normal, Illinois. He has a younger brother, Spencer, who is a fifth grader adopted from a different birth family.

“I think this is why I was so comfortable with adoption,” Ejupi said. “They adopted him and were very clear about the procedures when I was in kindergarten. I actually went to the court date, because you have to go through a whole legal procedure and everything. I don’t remember much, I just remember being impressed by how big the courtroom was.”

Ruthie Rosenkranz

“[Being adopted] has made me realize family comes from different situations,” Ruthie Rosenkranz, junior, said. “In your own way, it kind of makes you feel special.”

Junior Ruthie Rosenkranz’s mom adopted her from Jiangxi province in south Beijing. The orphanage staff believes her parents kept her for a year before they brought her there. From there, she was in foster-care for a year, so she was almost three when she was adopted.

She has a sister, Kaylie, who is also a junior. Although the two are not biologically related, they both are from the same province in China.

“It’s like we’re both from Illinois but from different towns,” Rosenkranz said. “We’re in the same grade and we kind of look alike because we’re both short and Asian. It’s kind of what all people see, so they assume that we are twins, and then we have to go into that whole spiel about what’s going on,” Rosenkranz said.

In 2007, Rosenkranz went back to China with Kaylie to sightsee and get in touch with their roots.

“When we went to Kaylie’s orphanage, [we found out that] the woman who took care of her as a baby became an assistant director at the orphanage. We didn’t know it until we showed her the pictures, and she was pointing to herself and was like ‘That’s me.’ It was a really nice experience to be like wow, this was where I came from,” Rosenkranz said.

Chistina Eddleman

“I’m pretty comfortable talking about my adoption, but I don’t know a lot about it,” Christina Eddleman, junior, said. “I was a baby, like one [year old].”

Eddleman’s parents adopted her from a southeast province in China. Like Rosenkranz’s case, there is no ongoing relationship with her birth parents and she knows very little about them. She recalls finding out at a young age, even before kindergarten.

“My parents would read me stories of kids who were adopted and I kind of caught on,” Eddleman said. “I adapted to knowing.”

Eddleman says she still wonders about her biological parents on occasion.

“There are some days you wish you knew why your biological parents gave you up,” Eddleman said. “There was obviously some reason [my biological parents] couldn’t keep me, but being adopted was for the better.”

Frequently Asked Questions:

What questions would you ask your birth parents if you had a chance?

L.E.: I have a few questions about diseases that go through family history. [Doctors] will always ask you, ‘Do you have a family history of heart disease or cancer or anything?’ and I always feel kind of odd saying ‘I have no idea.’
C.E.: I would probably ask what their daily life is like. I mean, I know compared to mine it’s probably very different. I’d be really curious to know that or if I had other siblings.
R.R.: That’s a tough one, because I’ve never really thought of asking them anything. I’ve just kind of wanted to see them, really. I think I would ask why they’d give me up because apparently they already kept me for a year so it was kind of like a ‘what’s another year?’ kind of thing.
Do you remember your birth parents?
L.E.: I don’t remember any of it. I think a lot of people think it happens later in life, whereas, at least in the cases I’ve heard about, they were very young.
C.E.: I do not, no. I don’t remember anything.
R.R:  Honestly, no. They kept me until I was one, but I don’t recall them.

How has adoption redefined your definition of family?

L.E.: A lot of people think it’s ‘adopted parents’ and ‘actual parents.’ I see it as the other way around, to be completely honest. [My parents] treat me as their kid. It’s not like you’re some sort of lodger living under their roof paying rent or something. You’re part of the family, which is an incredible gift.
C.E.: I agree with Logan on that, we may not be biologically related, but I don’t consider them my ‘adopted parents.’ To me, they’re my only parents.
R.R.: This may sound cheesy, but we say it all the time: ‘We may not be family by blood, but we are in our hearts.’ We don’t really notice the differences at all; we just know that we came to be a family. We truly are a family.