At eight years old, Zariyha was a shy, reserved child. She was very attached to her mother, Starday, always wanting to be with her and do what she was doing. At the time, Starday was a single parent, so she sought out the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to support Zariyha and her older sister.
Zariyha matched with Big Sister Ebony. Ebony had mentored youth previously through the Portland Rose Festival, and it was one of her former mentees who suggested she get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. For their first outing, Ebony took Zariyha to Old Chicago to eat. Zariyha was so bashful that she didn’t want to order from the server and asked Ebony to do it for her.
Zariyha didn’t stay that shy for long. She quickly became close with Ebony. They bonded over their many commonalities— coming from families with single mothers, having complicated relationships with their fathers, and having similar interests like acting and animals.
When they’re together, Ebony and Zariyha like to go out to eat, go to movies, ride bikes, take Ebony’s dog to the dog park, do Bible study, and so much more. But to Zariyha, what matters most is what happens on the way to and from these outings.
“My favorite part is when we’re just talking in the car,” Zariyha said. “We talk about things that are going on in our lives, and stuff that we’re looking forward to.”
Starday has often noticed that when Ebony and Zariyha return from an outing, they stay in the car for a while talking, or showing each other dance moves, before coming inside.
The two love riding bikes, and some of their best memories have come from these rides. When Zariyha outgrew her old bike, Ebony and her dad built Zariyha a new bike for her birthday.
Ebony also chose a bike ride to deliver some important news to Zariyha. When Ebony was pregnant, she was worried about what Zariyha’s reaction would be. The two went for a ride, but Ebony’s bike broke, so she ended up sharing this news while walking her bike alongside Zariyha. Zariyha was elated for Ebony, and immediately went into guessing the baby’s gender and what his name would be. Zariyha was never concerned that the baby would take away Ebony’s time with her, and to this day she considers herself an auntie to Ebony’s son.
Zariyha is now 15 years old and has changed a lot in the six and a half years she’s known Ebony. Starday says Zariyha is much more confident and has come out of her shell. Ebony describes Zariyha as silly, witty, academic, an amazing athlete, and an all-around incredible person.
Zariyha’s future plans are to attend college in California to become an actor. She’s confident that her relationship with Ebony will continue to thrive, and she already plans on asking Ebony to help her move into her dorm room.
