How old were you when your aunt adopted you? — 4.

Where were you living before that? — I lived at Our Little Haven from the time I was 2 years old until I was 4. Before that I lived with my mom, but she was having a lot of problems. (Scott Hummel, the director of Our Little Haven, 4316 Lindell Boulevard, was involved in the interview and explained a bit about the organization. He said it started in 1993 as a residential facility for children who were affected by drugs or HIV, and has evolved into a broader program offering a variety of help, including crisis intervention and residential treatment. There is also a therapeutic preschool on the premises and a foster care management unit.)

Do you remember much from when you lived at Our Little Haven? — I can remember how I acted. I was a pain to deal with. I knew only how to act out in pain and anger.

What do you do now? — I sing. I love to sing and I auditioned to get into VPA because I have a goal of becoming a professional singer. If that doesn't work out, my backup plan is to be a child psychologist.

How do you cope with the anger you had as a child, and do you still feel that way? — Sometimes I feel angry, but my faith has been a major steppingstone for me. I always think, "What would God think about that?" It's morally God who brought me through. I never look back, but always forward.

How did you grow to be so strong in your faith? — By the end of fifth grade I was fighting a lot and I was like, "OK, I've got to turn this around." We always went to church and as I was growing up and learned more about God, I thought, "Well, I'll give it a chance," and it turned everything around. I count on God to hold my tongue and to hold my mind in any setting. I grew up in church, but I came to God on my own.

Do you belong to a church? — Yes, Perpetual Life Church on 14th and Park streets. It's nondenominational and has an excellent pastor.

Do you sing in the choir? — Yes, I spend the majority of my time in the church choir.

Do you sing elsewhere? — I am in a lot of concerts with VPA and I sing pretty much whenever I'm asked to. I sang a cappella to the board here recently.

What sort of singing do you like to do the most? — Gospel. I can sing all kinds of music, but I like gospel the most.

What's your favorite topic in school? — World history.

What are some of the other subjects you're studying? — Personal finance, biology, geometry and world literature.

You will be 16 next month. Are you learning to drive? — Faithfully, I'm praying that I can go take this test (drivers exam) next month and then I can learn to drive. I really want to learn to drive.

How do you get around now? — I usually catch the bus or my family or friends will give me a ride.

What do you do in your spare time? — I hang out with my friends, mostly on the weekends. We go to movies — I like scary movies the best — or we go out to eat. We usually go to Applebee's or to the Golden Corral. Most of my group, we are in God. We all have different lives and we do have our different days but, most of all, we are positive people who do positive things.

What's your favorite gospel song? — "Anytime," by Geraldine Gallagher.

What was the last, best book you read? — The Bible. I read other things when I can, but I read the Bible more than anything else.

Are you dating and if so, is there anyone special? — You can just say I'm dating.