It may seem odd for a 14-year-old boy to love late-1980s hard rock, but sometimes there is a special reason.
“I was named after Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, because my dad liked him,” says Axl, an affable ninth-grader.
“I’m happy they’re back together,” he adds, referring to the band’s recent reunion tour after breaking up more than 20 years ago.
More typical of teens his age is Axl’s love of sports, particularly basketball and football.
“My favorite sport is football and my team is the Patriots,” says Axl.
He adds that he is drawn to the game because it demands that players work together for the team to win.
Axl’s favorite NBA team is the Golden State Warriors and his favorite basketball player is Stephen Curry.
Axl says he enjoys playing “ball tag,” which is a combination of tag and dodgeball.
“It’s a good game where you have to work together and have a strategy,” he says.
Axl, of course, spends much more time in a classroom than he does playing ball tag.
“I do enjoy school,” he says. “I like math the most. I like problem solving.”
Axl wants to return to the classroom when he is an adult.
“I would like to go to college,” Axl says, “and I would like to be a third-grade teacher, or a kindergarten teacher, because both teachers were there for me a lot.”
Axl says he formed a special bond with his third-grade teacher that extended to fourth and fifth grades when he would come help tidy her classroom after school.
“I’m going to try to make class fun so the kids will want to come to school,” he says.
Axl is a polite and thoughtful teen, the sort who runs ahead to open a door.
He hopes to join a busy family.
“If I could choose a family for adoption, I’d chose a mom and dad, and a dad who is active who would teach me how to throw a football and stuff,” Axl says, adding he would like to have siblings, “so I won’t be lonely.”
For his part, Axl says he would contribute “fun, caring, loving, sharing, and I would bring comfort.”
“If I get adopted,” Axl says “it’ll change my life by just knowing someone is there for me, someone loves and cares for me.”
For more information on Axl, call Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK) at 602-930-4900, or visit www.aask-az.org.