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SALT LAKE CITY — It's been said a lot of learning happens outside of a classroom. Some lessons are better taught hands-on.
On Wednesday at Utah's Hogle Zoo, Avigail got up close and personal with the animals.
"Do you want to touch his horn?" asked a zookeeper referring to George the rhino.
With a smile and a shrug, Avigail met George.
"You ready, George?" Avigail said as she fed him his afternoon snack.
"Animals are really precious to me," she said. "I can never let anything happen to them."
That's part of the reason Avigail says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
"You're a loud snacker George," she said. "I am too. Don't be afraid."
Being afraid is something Avigail is learning to live with. That's because Avigail doesn't know where she will be on her next birthday, next Christmas or even next month.
"I didn't want to move, but I had to," she said. "I had to go."
Avigail is in foster care. For the past two years, life's lessons have been heartbreaking. She knows who her biological mother is, "but she can only take care of one child right now," she said.
That child is not her. She's come to terms with it, but it doesn't make sharing something so personal any easier.
"It makes me feel really uncomfortable, but I know it's the truth, and they should know about it," she said.
She's referring to her future family. The one she hopes will learn about her story.
"If you want to meet me just try your best to be a good family because I want to be adopted soon."
She views this period of her life as a test, one she's hoping she'll pass. When the day comes for her to leave state custody she knows exactly what she'll do.
"Get ready, so they can take me right away," she said.
If you would like to learn more about Avigail, contact The Adoption Exchange at 801-265-0444.
