When alumnus Chris Stevens, insisted on calling junior Brianna Stratis “sister,” Stratis’ parents found it necessary to tell her that she had been adopted. At the time Stratis discovered her parents were not her biological parents, Stratis was 6 years old.

Stratis’ biological mother was very young and unable to care for her. At only 2 months old, she was legally adopted by her new family who had also adopted another girl followed by a third girl.

“My dad is a really mellow dude,” Stratis said. “He’s really laid back. I mean he gives me freedom to a point to where I deserve it. And then my mom is the really strict, really religious one.”

Stratis wasn’t adopted by complete strangers, however. She had been adopted by a long distance relative of her biological mother’s family. Unlike Stevens, who was actually placed in a home, Stratis wasn’t placed in an orphanage. She was immediately placed with her adoptive family. Stevens was then adopted by Stratis’ new aunt. As a result, Stratis and Stevens legally became cousins.

“My aunt that I have on my mom’s side was like my great grandma by marriage or something, so that’s how they knew of each other, but like in-laws, I guess you could say,” Stratis said.

Besides Stevens, Stratis has a 12-year old half-brother and a 10-year-old half-sister who are living with their biological mother. Stratis says she gets along better with her sister because she is nicer, while her brother is a little more moody.

“They sometimes talk to me on Facebook, but not that often,” Stratis said. “And they’ll write me letters [and] send me pictures.”

Stratis shares that she doesn’t mind being adopted because the living conditions would not have been the same with her biological mother.

“I think just the environment that I’m raised around now is way better and safer than it would have been when I was little.” Stratis said.”I think if I would have stayed with [the biological family] when I was little and now I got adopted, I wouldn’t have been raised right. It would have been a dangerous environment, especially because she was so young, she wouldn’t have really known what she was doing.”

According to Stratis, even if given the chance, she wouldn’t want to go back to her biological mother.

“I am perfectly happy with the family I have now,” Stratis said. “I mean just because [my mother] had me, it doesn’t mean anything. She didn’t raise me.”