Young artist also is drawn to math

Aliyah is a beautiful 14-year-old with sparkling eyes and a brilliant smile. Very articulate and outgoing, she has many friends and is usually the center of attention. Aliyah has an eye for fashion and loves to get dressed up and wear costume jewelry. Her favorite pastimes are shopping at the mall with her friends and creating art projects. She also enjoys writing poetry, which she feels is good for her.

"I don't like to talk about my feelings," she says, "but when I get them down on paper, it helps me a lot."

Aliyah likes going to school and works very hard to please her teachers. Math and art are the subjects that interest her most. She has a strong spiritual background and attends church services weekly. Some of her church activities include praise dancing and being a member of the youth ministry.

Aliyah dreams of having a forever family who will love her, be there for her, and nourish her creative talents. For Aliyah, finding such a family would be like a fairy tale. "It would be like in the movies," she says. She is close to a younger sibling and it is important that they maintain contact.