Adopteen Camp-Conference

Hello hello! My name is Ali, and I grew up in Nebraska and was adopted from Guangdong, China. I  graduated from Syracuse University with a double major in Anthropology and Civic Engagement. At the end of 2022, I moved out of Colorado to travel around Southeast Asia, before jumping into my next big endeavor.

My first experience with Adopteen was in 2016 on the Adoptees Giving Back Orphanage Service Trip (AGBOST), and it left a profound impact on my life. Since then, I have served on various committees and was a D.C. Chapter Coordinator prior to joining as a full time staff member in 2019. A few fun facts about me: I am a Virgo, 5w4, a total foodie, and wanderlust enthusiast. I cannot wait to see you all this summer!

Hi! I’m Ari, I am a domestic adoptee, born and raised in Louisville, Colorado. Ethnically Indonesian and Chinese, I have two other adopted siblings, one a Chinese adoptee (from Guangzhou) and one an Afghani adoptee, and has worked with the adoptee community through Lutheran Family Services, Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families, and Adopteen in different capacities over the past 14 years. Presently, I work as an Investment Consultant for Charles Schwab, providing financial planning and advice to Schwab’s managed clients. My interests include baking bread, enjoying art in its many forms (painting, sculptures, photography, cinema, etc), reading, working out, and have recently found a great amount of enjoyment in concerts. This summer has been full of big life changes and I am most excited about reconnecting with my roots in volunteer work and rediscovering old passions and new.

Hello Everyone! I’m Ivy Buchanan, the new Adoptee Programs Coordinator at The Park Community Center. I was adopted from Kazakhstan when I was about a year and a half old. I lived in Colorado almost my whole life, mainly in the Denver area. I have a BA in Theatre and Film Production and Design from UCD and graduated with a minor in Studio Art, as well. After working in different areas of the arts for a while, I wanted to focus more on nonprofit work. I was a project manager for a nonprofit that provided water filters to communities in need and as part of disaster relief. I worked at an international adoption agency as the post adoption coordinator before joining The Park at CCAI. Growing up my best friend was adopted from China through CCAI, but this Camp-Conference will be my first Adopteen event! I’m so excited to meet everyone and get to know the Adoptee community more!

When I’m not working I may be baking something yummy, reading, scrolling through cute pet pictures, or working on my next art project. I’m really looking forward to getting to know the adoptee community more this summer and planning a bunch of fun things (and having fun too!).

Greetings everyone 🙂 My name’s Maddy and I’ll be one of your Leadership Committee members in Denver this summer! A bit about me – I was adopted from the Guangdong province and grew up in Milwaukee, WI for most of my life, before heading off to university at UW-Madison where I completed my BS in Communication Arts and Minors in Business and Computer Sciences. 

While this is my first experience with Adopteen, I’m super excited to meet everyone and become more involved with the Adoptee community! When I’m not working my day job in Corporate Strategy, you can often find me cooking something vegetarian, biking around town, drawing, or searching for the next best story at my nearest bookstore! Fun Fact: I also love traveling and have made it a goal of mine to get pad thai every new country I visit in search of the best one!

name is Hannah Bouska, and I’m a recent graduate from Colorado State University! Since graduating, I’ve been working hard at my new job as a tenth grade English teacher and literacy specialist. I was adopted from Guangdong, China when I was seven months old and have been lucky enough to spend most of my life in Boulder, CO. In my free time, I love reading, spending time in the sun, listening to podcasts, playing soccer, and hanging out with my friends. I love cats, painting, and Harry Styles.

I’ve been involved in Adopteen since my first conference in 2015 (San Diego, baby!) and was lucky enough to attend the Adoptees Giving Back Orphanage Service Trip in 2019. This summer, I’m the most excited to take a leadership role in a community that is so near and dear to my heart. I hope to be the type of role model I needed when I was a teenager!

Hello hello! My name is Kristi, and I am from Centennial, Colorado. I was adopted from Jiangxi, China and plan to major in Film and Television production at university! I have been very grateful for the conferences that Adopteen put on while I was a camper, and I am beyond excited to step up as a leader. You can often find me working on spreadsheets for tech theatre, doing too much homework, and watching some high quality YouTube videos. I am excited to meet you all and make a bunch of new friends!

Hey everyone! My name is Maddox Ciesluk, and I am in my sophomore year of college at Johnson and Wales University studying Culinary Science. My favorite thing to do is to cook, and the most important aspect of cooking is the eating part! In my free time I like to play video games with my friends and watch anime. My favorite show is currently One Piece. 

I was adopted from Hanzhong, China, and first became involved with Adopteen in 2017 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and later again in 2018 and 2019 in Denver. This will be my second time being on the leadership committee, and I’m very excited to meet you all and create memorable experiences.

Hi everyone! My name is Anna Jacobs, and I was adopted from Hunan, China. I first participated with Adopteen when I returned to my orphanage during the 2017 AGBOST trip. Ever since that experience, Adopteen has held a special place in my heart, and I have been involved in several leadership committees over the years.

I recently graduated from college with a degree in kinesiology and now live in St. Louis, Missouri where I work at a dementia care facility. In the fall, I will attend grad school in St. Louis to pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy. Whenever I am not working, you can almost always find me reading, drawing, playing guitar or outside hiking. I am very excited to return to the wonderful Adopteen community and be a part of the Denver Camp-Conference!

Hello hello! My name is Paige and I was adopted from Fujian, China. I’m from Columbia, Missouri and recently graduated in December 2022 from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Since then I started working for a small digital marketing agency as a Programmatic Specialist. My interests are constantly changing, but recently I have been into video games such as Kirby Return to Dreamland, Don’t Starve, and Stardew Valley. I thoroughly enjoy watching anime, obsessing over Avatar the Last Airbender, online shopping for things I don’t need, and taking allll the naps.

I’ve been a part of Adopteen since Denver 2017, and have continued coming back ever since! I’ve loved all my experiences with Adopteen, and I hope to create the same comfortable and friendly environment I felt at my first adopteen! Can’t wait for what this summer holds!

Hi, I am Malia Recker!! I was adopted from Anqing when I was 9 months old. I grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado but I currently go to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. I am an applied math major with a concentration in computer science and I’m also minoring in women’s and gender studies (go women in STEM!!). I have been going to Adopteen summer camps since 2019 and this is my first time on the committee. I like to ski, camp, thrift, hangout with friends and I am a passionate feminist and environmentalist. I love the Adopteen community and am looking forward to building strong connections with everyone this summer.