Mentorship
that begins with
shared experience.
Compassionate, virtual, research-informed mentorship from people who’ve lived adoption themselves — for adoptees ages 13 and up.
A 501(c)(3) by adoptees, for adoptees
"For the first time, I didn't have to explain my whole life story."
— Mentee, age 17 · CA
2021
FOUNDED
501(c)(3)
NONPROFIT
300+
ADOPTEES CONNECTED
TWO WAYS IN
Whether you’re seeking a mentor or supporting our mission, your next step is here.
Every adoptee deserves a guide who has walked a similar road. Every supporter deserves to know exactly where their gift goes.
PATH 01 · ADOPTEES
I’m looking for a mentor.
Find a trained adoptee mentor for 1:1 sessions, or drop in to The Adoptee Lounge for group connection.
● Scholarships and sliding scale pricing available
● All mentors are adoptees themselves
● Ages 13 and up, all backgrounds welcome
PATH 02 · PARENTS & SUPPORTERS
I want to help this work grow.
Your gift trains mentors, sustains The Adoptee Lounge, and brings free mentorship to more adoptees each year.
● $60 — one mentorship session for an adoptee
● $250 — supports one mentor supervision session
● $1,000 — supports the Mentor Skills Lab Curriculum
SCHOLARSHIPS & ACCESS
Cost should never be the reason an adoptee doesn't get mentorship.
AMS is committed to making mentorship accessible to every adoptee who needs it. Free mentorship is currently available in Washington State and the state of Oregon — and we're actively working to expand that reach.
Scholarships and sliding-scale pricing are available nationwide. No adoptee is turned away for inability to pay.
MEET THE MENTORS
Adoptees who've done the work, ready to walk with you.
Angela Tucker
TRANSRACIAL ADOPTEE · FOUNDER
🜂 10 yrs mentoring · WA
JJ Rett
DOMESTIC ADOPTEE · 1:1 + LOUNGE
🜂 1st yr mentoring · OH
Ruby Barnett
DOMESTIC ADOPTEE · 1:1 + LOUNGE
🜂 1st yr mentoring · CA
Shelise Gieseke
TRANSRACIAL ADOPTEE · 1:1 + LOUNGE
🜂 1st yr mentoring · OR
Jenny Nau
DOMESTIC ADOPTEE · 1:1 + LOUNGE
🜂 2 yrs mentoring · WA
MEET THE MENTORS
Three programs. One promise: you won't do this alone.
Each program is designed by and centered on the lived adoptee experience.
1:1 Mentorship
Virtual sessions with a trained adoptee mentor. You choose your mentor, and you choose the pace.
Learn more →The Adoptee Lounge
Drop-in, virtual, group spaces by age and identity — a place to be in a room full of adoptees, guided conversation, facilitated by a fellow adoptee.
View schedule →Mentor Skills Lab
Our evidence-based training curriculum for mentors — the foundation that makes the model work.
Inside the curriculum →Driving change since 2021.
From a single mentor pairing in Seattle to a nationwide virtual model with research-informed curriculum, evidence-based outcomes, and state contracts — AMS is building the infrastructure adoptees deserve.
2021
501(c)3 incorporated in Washington State.
●
2022
Over 200 adoptees have received mentorship.
●
2023
State contract: Oregon. Free mentorship extended to adoptees across OR.
●
●
2026
Mentor Skills Lab launched.
Founder
since
2021
FROM OUR FOUNDER
An organization built by the people it serves.
"I started AMS because there is a unique bond that happens when adoptees connect with other adoptees. I believe it’s lifesaving…"
Angela is a transracial adoptee, author of You Should Be Grateful, and the subject of the documentary, CLOSURE. She is an internationally-recognized voice advocating for post-adoption support. She founded AMS to add another layer of support for the adoptee community.
Angela Tucker
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BECOME A SUSTAINER
Every dollar is used to support adoptee mentorship.
As a 501(c)(3), AMS is fueled entirely by donors who believe adoptees deserve mentors who've walked the same road. Here's exactly how your gift is used.
Mentorship programs
Mentor stipends, 1:1 sessions, The Adoptee Lounge
Mentor training
Mentor Skills Lab curriculum & supervision
Operations
Technology, compliance, governance
Donations processed by Little Green Light. Tax-deductible to the extent of the law.
Latest news and insights.
Research, mentor stories, and program updates from the adoptee community.