Wednesday’s Child: 16-year-old Chevy dreams of becoming game designer, being adopted

SALT LAKE CITY – In 2019, 1,996 children entered foster care in Utah, but only 42% of them returned to their homes, according to the Utah Child and Family Services.

That means right now hundreds of Utah children are living in state custody, many of them hoping to be adopted by a forever family.

Sixteen-year-old Chevy is one of them.

“I’ve been wanting to be adopted for a while now,” Chevy said.

Like many teens, Chevy loves video games and said he hopes to one day have a career creating them. To get to know Chevy better, The Adoption Exchange arranged a visit to WildWorks – the home of the award-winning interactive entertainment company that created the popular game “Animal Jam,” which is played by millions of kids around the world.

Chevy was welcomed to WildWorks’ Draper headquarters by CEO Clark Stacey. He then got a behind-the-scenes look at the creativity and teamwork that goes into making a successful game.

He even got a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s newest game, “Fer.al.” 

“I’ve been wanting to do it for, like, my entire life,” Chevy said. “I did make a game, and it was OK to a point where I had to turn it in for class.”

With an eye for the art, Chevy said he hopes to one day travel to Japan to study art. He also wants to learn about the technical side of creating a video game, as well.

“I love art,” he said. “Sometimes when I do art, I do it by myself. But if you have a whole team, that actually helps you do the art thing – it’s way more fun because you get somebody else’s perspective of the art.”

Chevy has a unique perspective on life. At just 16, he’s lived in state custody for nearly four years.

“In my first group home, I was in there for a year and half,” he said. “My second group home, I was only there for three months.”

He said he wants a family that will love him and engage with him.

“For me, my mom always showed affection by giving me hugs and kisses, complimenting me on how I”m doing, keeping me in check,” Chevy said. “I want a dad, if there is a dad, to be active and do stuff outside instead of being inside all the time.”

Chevy said he dreams of a home where he can be a teenager, and he also hopes his future family is on that likes to explore.

“I want to have friends over at my house and hang out there,” he said. “And I want a family that travels a lot. I want to see the world instead of being in Utah all the time.”

For Chevy, the future is filled with so many possibilities, and he hopes it all starts with a family.

“I just want a place to call home,” he said.

For more information, contact The Adoption Exchange at 801-265-0444 or go to adoptex.org.