If senior Adriana LaBarbera could sum up her life in one word, she would choose suerte, Spanish for fortune, destiny, fate. Suerte because she had the fortune to be adopted and move from the slums of Guatemala to the U.S. Suerte because she believes she is destined for something more. Suerte because when her mother visited Guatemala 16 years ago and looked into the eyes of two-year-old Adriana, she knew it was fate to adopt this child. 

Now turning 18 this upcoming September, LaBarbera seeks to learn more about the country she left behind. She spent the first two years of her life in Guatemala before being adopted, never knowing her biological parents. Her adoptive parents struggled to have children, and when they started looking into adoption, her mother came across her. 

“When [my parents] visited Guatemala and they saw pictures of babies, my mom took a look at my picture. And I looked identical to her when she was a baby, and she kind of saw that as a sign,” LaBarbera said. 

Although LaBarbera does not remember her days in Guatemala, her adoptive mother, who has Hispanic roots in Spain and Puerto Rico, was always there to remind her of her heritage. LaBarbera spends her summers in Puerto Rico with her extended family, speaking a mix of Spanish and English as her family celebrates holidays like Christmas, Easter and el Dia de los Reyes. Celebrated on Jan. 6, el Dia de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, honors the three wise men who gave gifts to baby Jesus. 

“[How the story goes] is the three men saw baby Jesus and left him gifts, so [today] kids receive gifts on this day. [My family] leaves the hay out for the camels as kind of an offering to get those gifts,” LaBarbera said. “We also have a nativity set in our house, so on Jan. 5, we add the three kings to the rest of the set.”

For LaBarbera, staples of her family’s culture can be found all around her home, whether in the pork roast cooked for dinner on el Dia de los Reyes, or in the worry dolls found beside her bed. 

“Worry dolls are small dolls that go under your pillow after you’ve told your worries to it. By the next day, the doll takes your worries away,” LaBarbera said. “When I was younger, I would use them whenever I had a nightmare or rough day. I still keep them on the shelf next to my bed as a bit of comfort.” 

In addition to shared traditions, LaBarbera found commonalities between Guatemalan and Puerto Rican culture in the values they shared. 

“We emphasize family a lot. My adoptive parents aren’t my biological family [and] came from a different country, but they were still so determined to give me the best future that I could have,” she said. “They [made] sure that I went to great schools and got to do whatever kind of activities outside of school that I wanted to.”

Despite where she is now, LaBarbera does not want to forget where she came from. LaBarbera took Spanish IV last year and starts Spanish conversations with her family in an attempt to reconnect with her roots. 

“I’ve definitely become more curious and willing to explore [my culture],” she said. 

Many people define luck as a mere coincidence, a one in a thousand chance. But to LaBarbera, that word encompasses her life and how she came to be here today. 

“I feel like I was so lucky to be able to meet my parents,” LaBarbera said. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I’m so grateful for them, and for all the opportunities that I’ve had. I’m just so grateful.”