People love to ask, "What's your secret?" Sometimes they want to know how I perform 1. Other times they want to 2 how I went from an adopted child to the Olympic champion.
My answer to both is the same: a mix of talent, hard work and catching the right 3 when given the opportunity. I was 4 to have both a gift for gymnastics and the chance to 5 it, and I did devote myself to 6 it. But many people aren't so lucky.
Do you know that 7 there are nearly 400,000 children and youth waiting to be 8 in the United States? But as 9 as 3% of adopted kids go on to earn a bachelor's degree, compared to about 30% of the general 10. They simply lack the support, resources and opportunity to 11 their potential.
So I want to 12 for these kids because I was adopted myself. My road to 13 began on the day my grandfather adopted my 14 and me. My birth mother suffered from drug addiction, and when I was just three years old, my sister and I moved around until I was six and my grandfather made the 15 move to adopt us.
Finding a family made me feel like I 16. Finding a passion, something I loved, made me feel I was important. 17 my country and being part of such a 18 Olympic team matters.
Our 19 shouldn't shape us or keep us from our goals. My hope is that I can help other adopted children realize their 20 in the months and years ahead.
