Gift of Love: Angela

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - She shoots, she scores! The TJC Men’s basketball team erupted behind Angela, 17, as she celebrated a nothing-but-net score on the Wagstaff Gym court.

With a team behind her, there's not much Angela can't do.

For this teen, her passion for basketball goes beyond some competition on the court.

“I feel like when you're with a team, y'all really look out for eachother,” said Angela. “So it means a lot for y'all be loyal and always have each other’s backs. Basketball is like a family bond.”

This specific type of bond is something Angela hasn’t consistently experienced for over a decade.

“I'm ready to settle down, I'm tired of moving,” said Angela. “I'm not getting any younger.”

With a little less than a year left in foster care, Angela said the thought of not finding a family is becoming more real.

“It's very important to me, like on a scale of 1-10 it would be like 100,” said Angela. “I wasn't worried about it at first because I had a couple years on me. But now, I've got one more year left, and I've got to make it my own. I've got to show it that I'm ready for the real world.”

With dreams of playing basketball at the collegiate level, Angela said she could only hope for a family of her own cheering her on in the stands. “I like a family that's fun, exciting, loves to travel,” Angela said. “I don't want to ask for too much. I just want someone who's going to love me for me and not try and change me.”

She is an athlete on the court with a drive to succeed, no matter what her circumstances are.

“My hopes are just to keep on going, keep my head up, and never give up,” Angela said.

For more information on how to adopt Angela or other East Texas children available for adoption. Please email Brittney.Rountree@dfps.state.tx.us or ebazaldua@kltv.com.

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