Saturday, May 16, 2015

2 Women Moved to Write Stories Uncover a Surprisingly Personal One

Katy Olson, left, and Lizzie Valverde, who were adopted by different families more than 30 years ago, in the Columbia classroom where they met.
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Katy Olson, left, and Lizzie Valverde, who were adopted by different families more than 30 years ago, in the Columbia classroom where they met.
Through a series of coincidences, two sisters adopted by different families more than 30 years ago find each other in a Columbia University classroom.



"The two sisters grew up very differently. Ms. Valverde enjoyed a comfortable life in Bergen County in northern New Jersey, where her father was a television news editor. Ms. Olson, who has mild cerebral palsy, spent much of her childhood coping with physical challenges, including several medical procedures.
But from an early age, both were relentlessly curious, driven and passionate about writing, though they both also dropped out of high school and did not follow the conventional college-to-career path.
Ms. Valverde did stints at two colleges and worked as a bartender and as a personal assistant for a hip-hop artist. Ms. Olson grew up to become an actor and standup comic who performs regularly at clubs around New York City. Like Ms. Valverde, she came to New York as a young woman."