Senior Mercedes Fabiana Magana is used to multiples: three screen names, two email accounts, four jobs, two names and five families.

At AHS, Magana is known as Katie Sydlik. With a set of biological parents, two foster families, adoptive parents and a cumulative step/half-family, Sydlik’s family tree is anything but straight and narrow.

She was born to 20-year-old Lydia Honaker, resident of Alexandria, VA, and a mysterious Nicaraguan named Carlos. Honaker put Sydlik into foster care when she was just a few weeks old as a result of her drug addiction-related financial problems.

“I lived with each [of my two foster families] for about a week, and one of them gave me my name, Mercedes Fabiana Magana, but my birthmom backed out on [them] both [as options],” Sydlik said.

At nine months, Magana was renamed Katherine Ann Sydlik by her adoptive parents Alan and Sharon Sydlik, who had been married for eight years.

“I came home on Saint Patrick’s Day,” Katie said. She celebrates her move to Maryland with with her adoptive father every year.

Her adoptive parents divorced when she was two, providing the opportunity for yet another family to form: Sharon Sydlik married Hank Anca when Katie was five.

“A lot of people don’t know I’m Hispanic [because of my name] but I can get Latin scholarships, I just have to call around,” Katie Sydlik said.

She stayed with the Ancas in Florida, where the Sydliks had originally moved for Alan’s job, while Alan moved yet again to the Washington/Metro area for government work.

“[Sharon Anca] was pregnant when she got married to Hank in February,” Katie said.

Amanda Anca was born in May 28, 1999, becoming Katie’s half-sister. She also gained a stepbrother named Tony Anca whom Hank had from a previous marriage.

“It took me some time to warm up to Amanda… [and] the idea that Tony wasn’t just my friend… [or] my mom’s boyfriend’s son anymore. I felt like I was being replaced. But I’ve always been the middle child,” Katie Sydlik said.

The entire family moved to a bigger house after the wedding, at which only Katie and Amanda were present because Tony’s biological mother had full custody of him.

“There was always conversation about how much I looked like my parents,” Katie said.

The same year, her adoptive dad, Alan Sydlik, revealed to her that she was adopted, surprising her but without true upheaval; she had always been told she was adopted but had finally come of the age at which she was able to fully register what “adopted” truly meant. It was not until five years later, at age ten, that she met Honaker, her birthmom.

“She was really secretive about her life. There was a lot of things my dad didn’t tell me,” Katie said.

Following the reunion, Katie was informed that when she was given up for adoption Honaker had chosen an open adoption, meaning that her adoptive parents were required to both send and receive updates via pictures and letters.

Honaker’s and Katie’s correspondence kept up until Christmas of 2008, when Katie learned that the reason she had been given up was due to her biological mother’s troubles with the law.

“I was pissed,” Katie said.

The final straw came for her around Christmas of 2011, when an angry Facebook status concerning Honaker’s family and personal problems caused her to realize that blood was the only thing tying them together.

“I appreciate the fact that Lydia was able to give me a better life, but I don’t consider her my mom,” Katie said. “My ‘adoptive’ parents are the ones who were there for me [as parents].”

At age 18, she made the decision to cancel her open adoption, as she was no longer legally bound by the adoption agency.

Sydilk has lived with father Alan Sydlik in this area since 2006.