Taaliyahna, 17 years old, NM | NEEDED BY 08/07

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Taaliyahna is in state custody. She enjoys spending time with her friends and maintains a close bond with her siblings. Taaliyahna loves her parents and hopes to be reunited with them in the future. Proud of her heritage, she identifies as both Native American and African American. Taaliyahna also takes pride in being a role model for her siblings. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, and creating content on TikTok.

Taaliyahna is beyond excited that this is finally her senior year of high school, the last first day of school she'll ever have. There's a tradition among the seniors to carry a backpack that reflects something from their childhood, a fun way to celebrate how far they've come while holding onto a piece of who they've always been. For Taaliyahna, that's easy, she's loved Cookie Monster for as long as she can remember, and she found the perfect backpack to match. This backpack is about Taaliyahna getting to walk into her final year feeling like herself, celebrated, and part of a tradition that means so much to her and her classmates. It's a small thing that would make her senior year feel exactly as special as it should.