Wednesday's Child: Stella


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SALT LAKE CITY — Stella is a high school senior who dreams of one day becoming a SWAT officer. She's lived in the foster care system for 13 years and hopes to be adopted soon.

At the Police Training Center in Murray, you'll find some of Salt Lake's finest honing their skills.

And Wednesday, that's also where you'll find Stella. She's a sweet and smart girl with big dreams of working in law enforcement. The Murray Police Department invited her for the opportunity to learn about the equipment, suit up in uniform and, Stella's personal favorite, take part in a mock SWAT drill.

It all made for a pretty exciting day for this teen.

"That was intense, but awesome," said Stella.

Years ago, Stella was once on the other side of a SWAT operation.

"When I was 4 and 9, I actually had SWAT raid my house," she said. "When they first came in, it was pretty scary because I didn't know what was going on."

Stella said she watched as SWAT officers removed her biological parents from the home.


Family has not been one of my strongest areas in life.

–Stella


"(It was) because I'm not in a protected situation and they removed me from that," she said.

She's looked up to those officers ever since.

"Family has not been one of my strongest areas in life," she said.

She hopes that will change soon. Stella loves volleyball and singing in the school choir, and, come December, she'll graduate high school early. She knows exactly what she wants to do when she grows up; she's just not sure yet who will be there to support her.

"Being a part of a family would be amazing," she said.

Despite all she's been through and how long she's waited, Stella still holds on to the hope of being welcomed into a forever home.

"I've lived without family my whole life, but that doesn't mean I can't start now," she said.

If you would like to learn more about Stella or other children living in the Utah foster care system, contact The Adoption Exchange.

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Ashley Kewish

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