With school back in session, some kids aren’t very excited about all the upcoming homework, tests, and projects piling onto their plates.
But one little girl’s attitude regarding her first day couldn’t have been more positive. Her reaction was so cute, in fact, that it’s melting thousands of hearts.
Arianna Hopper is 6 years old and entering the second grade this year at Altama Elementary School in Brunswick, Georgia. She’s the youngest of seven kids, three of whom are adopted, including herself. Her parents, Mark and Rebecca, have fostered her since birth and made her an official member of the family when she was 2 years old.
 
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The Hoppers admit that initially, they weren’t sure they’d be able to care for Arianna after she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. But now, they can’t imagine life without their daughter, whose smile always brightens their day.
“No matter what, even in her situation, she’s just joyful and loves life in spite of her disability,” Mark said. And that happiness definitely extends to the classroom. On Arianna’s first day of school in August, Mark recorded as she was loaded onto the bus in her pink wheelchair. To say she’s excited in the video would be a huge understatement.
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Arianna is nonverbal, but she needed no words to express her joy. The little girl had a permanent grin etched on her face as she waved goodbye to her dad, giggling with delight.
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Clearly, she couldn’t wait to go back to school, where Mark says she gets nothing but positive attention. Plus, the school provides a very interactive experience. Arianna is learning sign language there and even received her own communication device. But if that isn’t convincing enough, when Mark asked if Arianna was excited beforehand, she smiled and “nodded” her hand, meaning “yes!”
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When Mark uploaded the precious footage to Facebook, people couldn’t help but fall in love. And who could blame them? It’s pretty hard not to after watching Arianna smile.
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“Honestly everybody that comes in contact with her at church, at work, they always tell me they love her and how much her smile brings joy to them,” Mark said. “I’m glad that everybody gets to see this joy that she has that she brings to us every day and that everyone else can see and experience it.”
Watch as Arianna radiates pure happiness in the clip below. Share to spread her joy!
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