Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Jackson TerKeurst's life was forever changed when he was separated from his family during the Liberian civil war and spent years in an orphanage before coming to the United States and being adopted at age 15. Today, the author of The Only Way Forward Is Back shares his powerful story of resilience, identity, and belonging, inspiring others to overcome adversity and find purpose.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Maria was adopted at four months old and grew up feeling distinctly different from her adoptive family, always questioning her origins and searching for more than the brief explanation she was given as a child. After years of determined searching in the pre-internet era, she eventually pieced together her story — answers that eased some of her anxiety — and now dedicates time to exploring how adoption has shaped her life while living in the Bay Area near her children and grandchildren.

Neshia, a mixed-race Black woman from Toronto, entered the child welfare system as a child and experienced repeated systemic abandonment by the very institutions meant to protect her. Now nearly 40, she is a mother and foster parent who is healing through intentional, trauma-informed care while working to break cycles and become the safety she once needed.

Jackie’s life and work are rooted in creating brave, compassionate spaces for others, shaped by her own journey as a survivor of orphan trafficking through international adoption and decades-long reunification with her biological family. Now an Executive Director of a Hospice Home, Death Doula, and healer, she transforms profound loss into presence, guiding others through life’s most vulnerable transitions with deep empathy and grace.

Relinquished at birth and adopted as the only girl in her family, Mindy grew up with deep anxiety and a persistent sense of being an outsider, learning of her adoption at age five. Through reconnecting with both sides of her biological family, navigating profound loss, and engaging with adoption communities later in life, she has found belonging and healing through gratitude.