Have a Heart: Meet Brianna

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Those who know 9-year-old Brianna the best say she is full of confidence.

“She is just a smart, sassy, full of energy,” said Emily Nicholas, Brianna’s Court Appointed Special Advocate.

She’s also brave and is not afraid to take on things.  That confidence shines the most when she is active.

“I like to do gymnastics,” she said. “Because I can do flips and I want to learn new things.”

Brianna also really loves school.  Math is her favorite subject and she can rattle off her times tables. Nicholas describes Brianna as highly intelligent, and probably a little more worldly than you would expect a 9-year-old to be.

“She is not afraid to tell me what she needs what she wants,” she said. “She is very capable of taking care of herself which is great.”

It’s an impressive quality for a girl so young.  But Brianna has had to learn quickly in life to look out for herself.

It’s hard for her to talk about what she wants in a family and she may be a little standoffish at first.

“I think that there is a little part of her that might not believe it’s going to happen,” Nicholas said. “And so she’s hedging her bets. You know, which is hard to see that kind of skepticism and a child who’s only nine but when you have had the life that she’s had, Sometimes that’s what you think about the world.”

So whoever brings Brianna into their homes needs to be prepared to give her permanency. But Brianna into your life also has an unexpected result.

Nicholas says she is inspired by her spirit.

“Just to see a young person like Brianna who has had a little bit of a rough start in life, but is still doing great things - like she’s doing great in school and she’s happy. Doing this volunteer work, that is not something I necessarily expected. I expected to give but to get that in return was amazing.”

If you are interested in meeting Brianna, contact Tawnya Robertson at TRobertson@washoecounty.gov.

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