STATEN ISLAND, NY -- Many people in the Chinese adoption community choose to believe in the Red Thread Proverb, a piece of folklore stating that an invisible red thread connects people destined to meet.

For Tia Qiu Chan Schioppo, 27, a Westerleigh-based artist, this legend shines true. Tia and her younger sister, Maya, were born in China and were later adopted by a family of gifted artists in Westerleigh.

“My dad was an artist. His whole family are artists. They’re interior designers, painters, a curator at the Smithsonian. Myself and my brother were graphic designers,” said Lauri Jean Phillips, Tia’s mother. “So for her to land in our family? There are no accidents.”

At a young age, Tia was diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, speech delays, and language-based learning dif

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