This is a picture of my sister, Hannah Velarde, and I (I am on the left side of the photograph, and my sister is shown on the right). I was born with astigmatism, and I had to have corrective eye surgery once I came to the United States from Russia. I am also not ashamed of this being a part of who I was, and who I still am. I have to wear glasses (or contact lenses) because of my eye condition. I embrace this feature as one of the many unique attributes that makes me, me!
This is a picture of me in color. As you can see, my eye is no longer crossed. My sister and I used to have our pictures taken at a studio. We used to love having photo shoots!
When my parents adopted us, they brought over some Russian souvenirs. We have various Russian decorations displayed throughout our house.
