Adopted sophomore survives hardships, finds comfort

Sophomore Carolyne Hanson is only 15, but she has had enough experience to last her a lifetime. She was born in Russia, but has lived in Omaha for the majority of her life. She has endured countless obstacles and hardships along the way, but all of it has made her the person she is today.

This summer, Hanson was interviewed by the Omaha World Herald, and her story was shared with the whole population. “I was nervous at first because I’d never done that kind of thing before,” said Hanson, “but it was really fun.”

Hanson was born in Russia on Dec. 21, 2000. She came from a fractured home in which her mother was a drug addict. “She just couldn’t take care of me,” Hanson said. In addition, Hanson’s biological mother had reoccurring miscarriages, “It’s a miracle that I wasn’t one of them,” she said.

Hanson was given up for adoption as an international baby and was eventually adopted by a family in Omaha at nine months old. The husband was in the military, and Hanson had a sister with Down syndrome, “She was treated like an angel,” Hanson said. However, Hanson was mistreated and abused. She attended daycare almost every day, but her “mother” stopped taking her. The daycare provider was concerned, so Child Protective Services was called. “They went into my room and my crib was broken, it wasn’t really a crib. The walls were just a plain white…and I had a full head of lice, so they had to cut all my hair off,” recalled Hanson.

The family did not want to fight with the law, so Hanson was put up for adoption again at around four years old. She was placed in emergency foster care, and she was in need of a permanent home as soon as possible. In 2005, Carolyne was finally adopted by the Hansons. “They basically saved my life,” Hanson said.

Hanson is heavily involved in art, dance and mechanics. She dances at Backstage Dance studio and her favorites are hip-hop and gymnastics. Hanson’s knack for art is obvious based upon the photos featured in her World Herald article. She enjoys painting and drawing people. Hanson’s father is a mechanic, and she likes to spend some of her free time helping him out in the garage. “I want to be a mechanic because me and my dad have great bond because of it,” Hanson said. Not only does Hanson want to be a mechanic, but she also wants to travel. “My goals are to travel everywhere,” she said. “I want to travel to Russia especially.”

Hanson describes her life now as “interesting.” “I survived a lot of battles when I was little,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for my family.”

She attended Morton Middle School and is now in her second year at Central. She prefers to stay in Omaha and potentially attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha for college. Hanson has never had trouble making friends. She has been a very sociable person ever since she was young. Coincidentally, Hanson recently found out that two of her best friends are adopted as well. She says that it is really nice to have a connection with people who understand her. She considers herself to be independent, strong-willed and unique.

“I’m proud of myself,” said Hanson. “I’m a survivor.”