Meet Taylor

Taylor is excited to share some of his story through our In-Depth Profiles, a NWAE project that empowers teens to speak directly to potential adoptive families. Learn more about In-Depth Profiles™.

Is passionate about: Storytelling
Wants to: Learn through traveling
Recommends: That families have cats & dogs (just in general)
Looking for a family: That understands him

Taylor is a teen with a deep intellect and a thirst to connect on ideas. When making an In-Depth Profile that reflects life as a teen, he wanted to share candidly about some of the big thoughts on his mind. This came to include his passion for writing and storytelling, some of his perspectives about spending significant time in foster care, and honest outlook and interest in adoption as a teen. If you’re here on Taylor’s In-Depth Profile, make sure you check out all he has to directly share with you through his “walk and talk” videos as well as his written words.


Taylor explains a few of the reasons he’s been getting really into writing.


Taylor really loves books, graphic novels, comics – any kind of expertly crafted story. You’re likely to find him either reading a story, or making one! Through his graphic novels and comics, you can see the dedication to what he loves. There’s even more interests that expand from his artist’s sketchbook, including writing stories, and even books.


In the process of making his In-Depth Profile, Taylor sat down and wrote about the ways he personally connects with writing as a tool for self-expression. See his words about that here.

An animal lover through and through, Taylor definitely enjoys spending lots of time with the dogs and cats. While he has a slight preference for cats and smaller dogs, he’s still quick to make friends with even the largest and slobberiest of the K9s, and a connection with animals has been important to Taylor throughout his time in foster care.

It was important to Taylor to share directly about some of the experiences, and also lack of experiences, that have come as a result of having spent time in foster care.

Taylor also appreciates baking. Yes, baking! Taylor knows how to bake and his specialties are chocolate chip and sugar cookies. One of his best baking memories was with his grandmother, who is still a support in Taylor’s life. They took blackberries right from the bush and transformed them into a delicious cobbler. This is definitely something Taylor want’s to perfect and keep doing! Ready to be surprised by one of Taylor’s sport interests? He loves surfing. For years, he’s been intrigued and interested in this sport, even from within Washington State where it’s a little bit niche. Still, he’s done it a handful of times, and while it’s challenging he really likes doing it and can see himself getting continually better at it. Taylor would love future opportunities to do more surfing, that’s pretty much certain.

Taylor delivers his direct and honest thoughts about what kind of adoptive family could be the right fit for him long-term.

Taylor is also very drawn to the winter sports. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding – these are all activities that he’d love to grow in and make a bigger part of his life. He would add that while he loves a good outdoor outing, he prefers a weekend that’s evened out with some indoor rest and recovery from his busy weeks in high school, as well. Taylor’s all about the balance.

With recent, confidence-boosting success in writing, Taylor is doing well in high school and has an optimistic outlook. Taylor is on track academically and has made progress with the things that distract him from his learning path. Taylor has also developed good ways to relax when he is feeling overstimulated. With the right encouragement, both Taylor’s academic as well as problem solving skills are constantly growing.

Taylor has big thoughts about his future, including a potential plan to get further into carpentry. At one point he had it all planned out: graduate high school, go to a trade school, become an apprentice, then begin the very hands-on work of building houses. Now that he’s further along in high school, he’s learning about wide range of his interests and aptitudes. Still, a family that could nurture Taylor’s intellect as well as interests in hands-on projects could be really positive for him.


Taylor says, "I've always wanted to go out of state mostly just to see what's out there because I've been stuck in Washington my whole life. I want to experience things I've never experienced before."

Taylor also wanted to write and share directly about his future interests to travel more.


A family who can set clear expectations and guidelines and is willing to keep Taylor in the loop about planned activities would be really great for him. Taylor would love to have brothers and sisters around his same age or older. He definitely likes the idea of having older siblings to “look up to.” And of course, he loves pets. If your family is patient, understanding of teenagers, and excited learn more about Taylor’s search for permanency, please let us know!


Beyond the Profile: As I got to know Taylor through collaborating with him on his In-Depth Profile, I was humbled by his wisdom and thoughtfulness beyond his years. He’s the kind of teen that would discuss the world with you for hours on end, until both he and you are seeing things in a slightly different way – truly the hallmark of a good conversation. It’s honestly unsurprising that Taylor thrives in writing and self-expression, as it’s a natural outlet for his introspection and ideas. I’m thrilled that he was wanting to turn his expression directly toward potential adoptive families, even as he weighs what feels exactly right for his future. I think families will resonate with his directness and his honesty. Taylor deserves the kind of permanency that he’s looking for, and I hope his own voice encourages families to reach out and learn more.

- Brandon Adams, Youth Engagement Specialist