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A Lexington foster child faced an uncertain future. Now she’s graduating early.

Lexington Herald-Leader - 5/25/2022

When she was 14, Shyanne Fulks was in foster care in a mental health care facility and facing an uncertain future.

But on Friday May 27, Shyanne will graduate one year early from Lexington’s Tates Creek High School, an accomplishment she credits in large part to Aimee Fulks, a single woman who three years ago adopted Shyanne.

Fulks said not long after she was approved as a foster mother, foster care agency officials asked if she would be a foster mother to Shyanne.

“When she walked into the room, I thought ,’This girl looks just like me. She could be my kid,’” Aimee Fulks said.

Shyanne, now 17, thought the same thing.

Fulks said Shyanne’s father died when she was four and she lived with her mother until social services officials placed her with her aunt. At 8, she was sent to live with a cousin. At 13, she was moved to a mental health facility, then to a foster home and back to the hospital.

Shyanne said she is telling her story because she wants to raise awareness about mental health issues and the merits of adopting teens from foster care.

Shyanne was guarded when she first came to live with Fulks. Then, one day when Fulks was driving Shyanne to school, the song, “Don’t Stop Believing” by the band Journey came on the radio. Aimee Fulks started singing loudly and Shyanne joined in. They burst into laughter.

“That’s how we broke the ice. We spent the summer together and I decided to adopt her,” Aimee Fulks, 44, said. “She’s just a really sweet girl.”

At Aimee Fulks’ house they bonded over pets, including two dogs, a fish, a gecko, and a chinchilla.

“She tries her best,” said Shyanne. “I was meant to be with Aimee because she is such a strong person.”

Shyanne, Fulks said, has overcome “anxiety and her past.”

A “C” student when she first moved in with Fulks, Shyanne now makes A’s and B’s and has a 3.57 grade point average at Tates Creek High School.

At first, Aimee encouraged Shyanne to make good grades by giving her an allowance. After a while, she didn’t have to do that.

“The first time she made straight A’s, it just really struck a chord with her,” she said.

Shyanne took an online accelerated summer program outside of Tates Creek High School that allowed her to graduate early.

She is going to Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington this fall. She works at a pet store and when she is 18, plans to get training in pet grooming. She wants to become a veterinary technician.

She’s been taking sewing classes, and may begin working with alterations. She loves to write in her journal, and to write short stories and poems.

Shyanne’s exploring career choices before she makes the larger decision on pursuing her bachelor’s degree.

“Basically anything she wants to do, I support her in it,” said Aimee Fulks.

The adoption was final in October 2021.

“To get a child at 14 was really challenging,” she said. “For her to be able to receive love was hard for her,” Fulks said.

They both continue to go to counseling.

“We’ve both learned about ourselves,” Fulks said. “We’ve learned patience. Communication skills on both sides have improved.”

Said Shyanne of her adoptive mother:

“She really pushed me to be the best version of myself.”

2022 graduation dates, times are set for Fayette schools at Rupp Arena. See details.

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