14-year-old is a slam dunk for a forever family
Keannen hopes to be a criminal defense lawyer or a doctor.
Keannen didn't try to go easy on former UT basketball player and founder of
Hoop Zone Bill Wendlandt.
Keannen not only gives his all at sports, but also his studies, even when there are some distractions.
"Everybody, at least once had to sit out a game because they failed, I never sat out a game because I failed," he said. "That's why I always try to be focused on my school work. When I have free time, I'll be talking to the ladies."
Over time, Keannen has learned to set priorities. He stayed focused on school, because he knows like sports. His priorities for his life after school depend on how things play out, but he has a few things in mind.
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One of his top options is to be a criminal defense lawyer.
"Because I'm a pretty nice person. If someone's getting picked on, I like to jump in and help them. Tell them to stop," he said. "And if that doesn't work out, I'm going to try my best to be a doctor or something."
Keannen's career path is up in the air, but he knows he wants to help people.
But he could also use a little help getting there, which is one reason why he wants to get adopted.
"Someone who will be there for me. If I'm having a hard time at school, I want someone to be there for me when I get home to talk to me and ask me what's wrong," he said.
He doesn't have a long list of qualities he'd like in a forever family, but one simple request.
"The main thing is that they go to church. I like going to church," he said.
Keannen said his faith has helped him a lot as he waits to find a permanent home.
"I always thought that God didn't exist, but then when I hear about him and how he can help people, I just realized that right now he helps me through this situation and me not having a family and everything. So every now and then we go to church and I like to thank him and everything," he said.
Keannen lives in a home with seven other children. Getting his foster parents to notice him can be tough, so he finds positive ways to stand out.
"If they never say anything to me, but they just say 'I'm proud of you,' that makes my day," he said.
He hopes, when he scores his forever family, those are words he'll hear every day.