Profile: Sedona Andersen

Photo by Emily Andersen
Sedona Andersen with her three siblings (left to right) Lucas, Seriyfa, and Samuel, two of which were adopted from Ethiopia

By Cate Bikales

Sedona Andersen lives a life full of constant noise and bustle. Every day, her home is full of yelling, singing, crying, laughing; this is what she loves about it. But her life was not always easy. Seven years ago, now fifteen-year-old Andersen faced a major adjustment in her life: the adoption of the first of two siblings from Ethiopia.

Andersen is now the oldest of four siblings in her family-- Lucas, Samuel, Seriyfa, and her. However, when she was seven years old, she was the oldest of two. When her parents started filling out papers to adopt, Andersen says that she was unhappy about the idea.

“I was about 6 or 7, so I liked how things were, just me and Lucas. I didn’t really want anything new,” Andersen says.

Despite her lack of excitement, Andersen’s parents continued on with the lengthy adoption process. Her parents wanted the opportunity to help a child who did not have a home, and Ethiopia worked best for the age of children they were seeking.

On May 22, 2011, eight-month old Samuel Andersen was adopted. Three years later, on June 23, 2014, Seriyfa Andersen, eight years old, joined the family as well.

Andersen’s siblings faced some challenges adjusting to a new environment.

“For Seriyfa, learning a new language and getting used to a whole new way of life was definitely hard. It was also quite overwhelming for her because everyone wanted to see her when she arrived. Samuel didn't have much to adjust to because he was just a baby,” Andersen says.

Andersen says that these days her siblings are constantly busy with sports like basketball and soccer, and they seem to have fully adjusted to their new lives.

“Samuel does sometimes get sad because he starts to think about Ethiopia. Same with Seriyfa, and they sometimes get angrier when something happens. Other than that, they seem to be completely adapted to life in the United States,” Andersen says.

According to Andersen, with four children in the family, there is “a lot more planning, a lot more activities, and a lot more sports.” Andersen’s family goes out to Ethiopian food sometimes, and her siblings were previously enrolled in an Ethiopian dance class.

Forever Family Day is also an addition that is now a big part of Andersen’s life.

“Once a year, we celebrate the day that we adopted Samuel and Seriyfa. We call it their Forever Family Day,” Andersen says. “We get cupcakes and treat it as a half-birthday celebration.” Forever Family Day gives Andersen a chance to reflect on the affects her siblings have on her life. She says the day is nice because it allows her to see how long her siblings have been with her family and interesting to put into perspective how quickly time passes.

From Ethiopian dance classes to understanding more about the villages of her siblings, Andersen and her family have become more culturally diverse and learned new things they would have never learned, had they not adopted children from another country.

Andersen now has different opinions about life with Samuel and Seriyfa than she had originally.

“I think it would be a lot quieter, definitely, but that's hard to imagine,” Andersen says. “I think it's nice to have them; they kind of bring the family together and make it feel a little homier. It’s nice having a bigger family.”