Name: Christy Thomas Classmate Q&A

Q&A with Freshman Ella Underwood

Christy Thomas: How would you describe your mother, Lisa Underwood?
Ella Underwood: I would say she is probably the best mother I could ever ask for. I mean, I have
not been the best child to her because I would blame her for everything that has happened in my
life. I would get mad at her for everything, but I realize now that she is probably the best person
in my life that I could ask for. She is always there for me, protecting me, and always making sure
that I get everything that I need.

CT: What about your father?

EU: My dad is probably the silliest person I have ever met. He is so goofy, so fun. There was a
time where we were really poor and didn’t have a lot of stuff, so we used what we had to make
up silly games for entertainment. He is a Christian. He believes in the Lord, and he is very
supportive of that. He always tried to make other people feel good and always tried to spread
God’s word.

CT: So, you are adopted. Did your parents ever tell you the story of how they met you?
EU: Yes, I know a little bit about it. My mom had cancer when she was younger. It affected her
ovaries, so she had to get surgery. Because of that, she can’t have kids, so my parents wanted to
adopt. They made letters and sent it out to everyone they knew. My mom sent it to her college
professor, and he sent it to this doctor in Kansas. That’s where they found my birth mom
Autumn. She was pregnant at the time with me, and she had my older sister Ally with her who's
probably around a year. She couldn’t take care of me for reasons I do not know. There’s a whole
bunch of stories around that. Her college professor and doctor reached out to my parents. The
day they first met me, he laid me on his arm, and he knew I was going to be his child and that he
would love me forever. They adopted me the next day after I was born and took me home three
days later because there was a snowstorm.

CT: Do you remember the day that they told you you were adopted?
EU: I have known for my entire life, ever since I could remember, that I was adopted. They
wanted me to know.

CT: So, your parents are divorced. How did you react to it?
EU: It was pretty upsetting, but at the age of eight, you kind of already know. Every night, my
parents would fight, and there was a thin wall between my room and their room. Ever night, I
could hear them screaming and yelling at each other, and it was just awful. During the day, they
would act as if they were a perfect couple because they didn’t want to hurt me. One night, I heard
the door slam, and I saw my dad leaving. After that, I never saw him again until after a few
months. I went up to my mom’s room, and she was crying. She told me that they were getting
divorced. She was divorcing him. It was devastating because I didn’t see him for a long time. We
Name: Christy Thomas Classmate Q&A

were moving to a different home and school, and it was a very hard time for me. I had to leave
all my friends behind without saying goodbye to them. I went to a private school where everyone
hated me the very first day.

CT: Is there a reason for that, or were they just being bullies?
EU: I really do not know why. The only friend that I had was forced to be friends with me by
their mom, but she is my best friend today. I was bullied for being chubby. I was very chubby
back then. It was a disaster.

CT: Do you know what happened to your dad while he was gone?
EU: He was pretty much homeless, and he did not have any money. My mom took pretty much
everything from him. My aunt took him in, so he could get back to his feet.

CT: Did that ever affect your relationship with your mother?
EU: It did because I was really mad at her. I blamed her for all of it: my dad leaving, for us
moving, and for making me redo second grade when I finished it. It was very hard for me, and I
hated her at the time.

CT: How has life changed since then?

EU: It has been crazy. There were ups and downs. It’s been a rollercoaster. For the longest time, I
hated my mom, but eventually, I was able to see my dad again. My parents have made a deal that
I would spend every Wednesday and every first and third weekend with my dad, so I will still be
able to see him. He finally moved to an apartment. It has gotten better because I am pretty much
done with all the drama. I can talk about everything without crying.

CT: Do your parents get along well today?

EU: They haven’t talked to each other since the day I got baptized. I was probably like nine or
something. My dad is still mad at her. He can’t be near her at all. My mom is fine even if she has
to be around him or if she needs to talk to him. However, my dad is still pissed because of
everything that has happened.

CT: I know you found your birth mom back in 2019. How did you find her, or did she find you?
EU: Well, I knew that I had an older sister by the time I was 13. My dad told me. In 2019, when I
was at my dad’s house, I was just messing on my phone at night. My dad is asleep on the couch,
and I get this follow request on Instagram from this girl named Ally. I followed her back, and she
messaged me. We started talking. Then, out of nowhere, she tells me that I am adopted and that
my parents are not my real parents. She tells me that I have another mother. I told her that I was
already aware that I was adopted, but I was curious. I asked her what my mom’s name was, and
she said Autumn. It freaked me out, and I started going crazy. I found out that Ally was my older
sister, and she was 17. She sent me Autumn’s Instagram profile. Ally did this behind everyone’s
Name: Christy Thomas Classmate Q&A

back because I was supposed to meet my mom until I was 18. It was a very emotional night, and
it was crazy. I started talking to Autumn. At first, she was a little worried because she wanted to
follow my parent’s request, but I was still messaging her. I called my mom, and she told me to
talk to my dad. However, when I got up, I fell to the ground crying because it was emotional, so
powerful. I woke my dad up, but what he said really hurt me. He told me that Autumn was not
my mom, and Ally was not my sister. He told me to not talk to them again. It broke my heart
because my parents know I wanted to meet my birth mom. I always wanted a sibling because I
was raised as an only child. I finally got the chance, but my dad tore me down. He pushed me
away when I needed him the most.

CT: Do you know why your dad reacted like that?

EU: Well, I talked to him about it way later. He said that Autumn had problems and was not a
good person. He just wanted to figure everything out before I talked to him again.

CT: Do you know why your birth mom gave you up for adoption?
EU: I have no idea. I was told different stories. My parents told me she had a one night stand
with this guy, and she cheated on Ally’s father. Ally’s father was in the military, and he was
stationed overseas. She got pregnant and decided to give me up for adoption. Another one was
that she was poor, and didn’t have a lot of money. Because of that, she couldn’t take care of me.
When I tried talking to Autumn about it, she told me that she lied to everyone on the paper and to
their faces. She told me that the truth was that she went to her next door neighbor’s party. She got
drunk and fell asleep on the couch. The host of the house raped her. She woke up the next day,
took Ally, and ran. She found out later that she was pregnant. She was already doing drugs like
marijuana when she was pregnant, but she didn’t know at the time. She wanted to get an
abortion, but she didn’t. She had me, but she was scared about my father. She told me that he
was a very bad man.

CT: Do you ever want to meet your biological father?

I don’t know if I want to. I have mixed feelings about. I may want to meet him someday or at
least know about him. The only thing that I know about him is that he is Puerto Rican. I don’t
know if he is a bad man because I was told different stories. I still don’t know if I believe
Autumn.

CT: You said before that you were an only child. Autumn has three children excluding you. How
does it feel to have three new siblings?
EU: It is a little overwhelming. I mean, I always wanted a brother or sister. It was like a dream
come true but also terrifying.

CT: Have you ever met your birthmother in-person?

Name: Christy Thomas Classmate Q&A

EU: I have not. We want to wait until I am 18. That is probably the best idea because of my dad
and mom.

CT: Are your parents okay with you talking to Autumn?

EU: My mom was okay with it. She was supporting me through it all, but my dad did not want
me talking to them. So, we decided to keep it a secret that I was messaging them on Instagram.
There was one day when my mom blurted out that she didn’t like Autumn at all, but that was one
incident.

CT: Both of your parents are dating other people. What is that like?
EU: At first, it was kind of hard knowing that my parents were dating other people. However, I
love my soon-to-be stepparents now. My dad is actually engaged. My mom is not, but they plan
too very soon. Both my mom’s and dad’s partners are both very sweet and very kind. I also can’t
wait for a new set of siblings- I am about to have two new brothers, actually.