Mid-Pacific student Nicole Tsuda '19 was one of 11 winners of the Girl Scout Gold Award for her community service project, a website for adopted children, "Nicole's Guide to Adoption."

"Home is such an important thing to everyone," she says. "We are all humans and feel the need for acceptance, crave love, and wish for happiness. This may be a website, but use it for reassurance that you are not alone."

She was born in Japan in 2001. When she was a baby, she was adopted by adoptive parents, Elaine and Jeff. "They took me back to their home on Oahu, and that is where I've been living," she says. "Ever since I could remember, I knew I was adopted. My parents decided it was best to tell me as soon as I could understand. It never bothered me until the fourth grade. I used to get teased for being adopted and I could never understand why. They would tell me I was giving away because my birth parents didn't love me or I was a mistake and sadly I believed them. I was in 4th grade and I was human, of course I couldn't just ignore it. Luckily, when I got to middle school, it never bothered anyone so it never bothered me. Until this day, I've accepted that I am adopted and I'm happy with how my life is. Hopefully, you or your child is just as happy as I am."

Tsuda decided to help other adopted children by creating her website, Nicole's Guide to Adoption.

From her website:

"Hi! My name is Nicole, the creator of this guide to adoption. As of January 2017, I am 16. I am adopted and I never noticed until now, how it affects people. I thought everyone who was adopted was like me and we all shared the same experiences but I was wrong. Some people have a great and easy experience, they know and feel like they are where they're supposed to be. Some people like me may have been victims of bullying but eventually grew out of it. Others may still suffer from not being accepted or still feel like they don't belong. I made this website in order to help anyone and everyone. Whether you are a teen or a parent who has questions or just someone who wants to expand their knowledge and read about adoption and how it affects an individual, I hope this site helps you."

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