Foxie describes their childhood as a happy one. “Growing up in my family was good. I thought I had a really nice childhood,” they said. Their parents gave them plenty of room to explore, though Foxie’s interests weren’t always easy to read. “I’d say I was pretty shy and pretty emo-ish, and so they didn’t know how to really nurture that. I was left to my own devices to have to decide for myself what I wanted,” they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One family member, though, saw exactly what Foxie needed. “My great-grandmother, Rosanna Francis Cecilia Smith Lester Norman, she really did usher me into the world and told me to just be fearlessly me. She had us performing for all the older folks. It was the first kind of performance I did,” Foxie shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The creation of Foxie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Foxie’s persona took shape years later, born not from a stage but from a fraternity. “Foxie was officially born and created because of my fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi, the Progressive Men’s Fraternity,” they said. They were first given the name Foxie Adjuia, King of the Wiccans, though “king” didn’t stick for long. “We had a big philanthropy project called Draglicious, and that’s where I started doing drag,” they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foxie’s early 20s, however, were full of challenges. After being diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and ADHD, they struggled to keep pace with school and life. “It was hard to deal with, and so I flunked out of Cal State Long Beach,” they said. “Relationships, substances, and then just life started happening. Drag was the thing I focused on that kept me going.” Through the hardship, drag became an anchor. “Drag was my way of tying all of my creative pursuits and abilities into one thing,” they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Serving looks and serving others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“Now, I’m back at Cal State Long Beach. I’m in the first semester of my senior year,” they said. Within the next three years, they will complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. “I get to support folks, and I get to grow as a Foxie Adjuia DeVille, the social-working drag queen,” they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Foxie, everything comes back to one big idea: “How do I utilize my being, my existence, to serve?” Whatever the venue, the goal stays the same: using every talent they have for the benefit of others. And as for what’s next, Foxie has no plans to settle. “My greatest achievement is to exchange the comfort that I enjoy so much for growth,” they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n