BRADENTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A 19-year-old girl who spent years in the foster system finally has a family to call her own, and it is all thanks to her very own caseworker.

Monyay Paskalides was finally able to enjoy the embrace from her new mom, Tuesday.

“With my signature, it is official,” Judge Teri Dees said amidst applause and cheers via Zoom. “Happy adoption day.”

Monyay was placed into a group home in foster care when she was 11 years old. It was during that time when the now 19-year-old met Leah Paskalides, her caseworker and mentor with the Safe Children Coalition.
“She was always a kid that did not deserve to go through life without a support system of a family,” Leah told FOX13.

As she grew up, Monyay excelled in school, graduated a year early and even volunteered to help foster children in similar situations.

In the past, Leah wanted to adopt Monyay but was unable to due to a conflict of interest with her job. It wasn’t until Monyay aged out of foster care that Leah learned she could still adopt her as an adult.

“It was important to me that she knew that she was wanted by somebody, that somebody loved her,” Leah explained. “I could say that as many times as I want, but actions speak louder than words.”

“Being told ‘no’ so many times, to hear that ‘yes’ and to hear them pronounce her as my mom, it’s something that’s like, oh my gosh, this is for real,” Monyay laughed.

The duo now work together to raise awareness and inform others that there are teens out there waiting to be adopted and in need of permanent homes.
Eventually, Monyay told FOX13 that she would like to open her own group home for teens and be there for them the way Leah was there for her.
“It’s never too late because I’m grown, but I’m still being adopted,” she said. “Just because it didn’t happen then, it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.”

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