This article first appeared in the Miami Herald in collaboration with the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media.
Bryanna Carter remembers the moment her mother threatened to kill her and her five siblings.
In late 2015, the bank gave her family 24 hours to vacate the Miramar home they had been renting. When time ran out and police arrived on the property, Carter recalls her mother refusing to open the door.
After she finally did and was removed by police, Child Protective Services workers separated the siblings from their parent indefinitely.
Bryanna and her family entered foster care. Her older brother and two older sisters aged out of the foster care system before she aged out herself at 18.
In January of 2023, when Bryanna was 20, she decided to take custody of her two younger brothers, wanting to help them leave behind their turbulent living situations and give them the best lives possible.
“It was unreal,” she said about the moment she decided to take them in. “I knew I was going to have to make adjustments, and knew I wasn’t going to be able to do certain things anymore, but I was ready.”
Now 22, Bryanna is seeking to formally adopt Zion Chery, 17, and Sir-Isaac Moore, 11, while balancing her own responsibilities as both a warehouse worker and business management major at Broward College.
The transition from sister to guardian came with its share of difficulties for Bryanna.
In February, she was laid off from her position at Lowe’s, leaving her without a stable income for eight months before finding her current warehouse job in October.
There were times where she was unable to pay her internet bills and struggled to afford groceries.
She recalls telling her brothers she would buy whatever they wanted some other time, not knowing if that time would ever come.
“A lot of times I wasn’t even worried about me, I wanted to make sure my brothers were good,” said Bryanna. “I didn’t want to break down in front of the boys. If I did that, they would lose hope, too.”
Despite their financial struggles, Bryanna says Zion and Isaac were always understanding and supportive, easing her anxieties and reminding her that she could not give up on them.
“I look up to her,” said Shantaol Harster, a life coach at SOS Children’s Villages in Coconut Creek. “She’s only 22 and she’s taking on two minors, plus school, plus other normal daily hardships. And I’m just like, damn, I wanna be you when I grow up!”
Harster and SOS offer support services to young adults like Bryanna who have aged out of the foster system. She has been working with her and her family for about two years.
SOS Children’s Villages nominated Carter to receive assistance from the Miami Herald Wish Book program. Each year, members of the community in need are highlighted by the Herald and readers can make donations.
For Bryanna, creating a stable environment for her family takes priority over her needs. She wants to improve her credit enough to eventually own a house, if only to give her brothers a safe space to accomplish their own dreams.
Zion aims to play football with the NFL, while Isaac wants to be a YouTuber.
“I want this to be long-term. I want to be able to continue implementing things in their lives and help them learn life skills that I didn’t learn,” Bryanna said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about them.”
Byranna did not ask for donations herself, but hoped the Wish Book could help give her siblings some of the things they need this holiday season.
She is wishing for two new laptops for her brothers so they won’t have to rely on the single rundown computer the family shares. School supplies, such as notebooks, bookbags, and binders, as well as food items would also help.
