My Greatest Inspiration and Biggest Fan: My Mother

I grew up in Brentwood, an affluent white neighborhood, where my father managed an apartment building rent-free. Even though my parents were working-class immigrants, my parents gave me everything leading me to think I was rich. However, when I was twelve years old, my parents divorced, and my world turned upside down. I lived with my mother, who now struggled to make a living and support us. She started a meal delivery service before they were common, and with her hard work, many sleepless nights, and determination, she achieved the American Dream and bought her own house. However, the journey was far from smooth, with many setbacks.

After my mom built her business from scratch, her family stole her business and stole most of her savings. It was not just a financial setback, but another heartbreak. Again, she persevered with grace and a heart of gold. At 50, my mom achieved another goal moving to Malibu. In 2019, the fires devastatingly destroyed it all. Starting from zero again, we moved into a studio apartment and had to start all over again. And still, she continues to persevere and work towards owning her own home again, but most importantly, she continues to have faith and picks herself back up every time. My mother's dedication, good humor, and courage in the face of relentless opposition and threats have influenced my success and are always on my mind.

As a Latin woman of color, I firsthand saw the humiliations and struggles my mother endured compared to my father, who is white. Due to political and financial circumstances, my mother forcefully left midway through university to immigrate to the United States. She sought to continue her education, but was unable to due to the cost of tuition, and as a result, could not pursue her career in psychology. Through my mother's experience, I dishearteningly learned that education was not available to everyone everywhere, mainly because it provides equal opportunities to fulfill your fullest potential. With education, we have the power to transform communities, nations, and the entire world. These experiences motivated my future career, influencing me to advocate for women's empowerment.

From a young age, I dreamed of becoming a successful fashion designer to support young women in assuming leadership roles. History has continually shown me the struggles women endure to overcome the expectations of traditional gender roles. Inspired by my mother's experiences, I intended to change the way women are perceived by empowering them through my clothing designs and inspiring future generations.

In late 2019, I experienced my own setbacks. After working at a company for six years, they laid off forty percent of their staff, myself included. I was devastated and finally realized why my mother always encouraged me to earn my bachelor's degree. Although I passionately enjoyed fashion design, the difference I aspired to achieve through fashion was not enough for me. With my passion for advocating for women, particularly minorities, I saw the magnitude of what I could accomplish towards gender equality by changing systemic structures that discriminate and limit women pursuing education and in the workplace. At thirty-one years old, I returned to school and courageously decided to pursue a career in law. I gave it my all with hard work and determination, earning invitations to PTK and Honor Society, and was also on the dean's honor list. This past April, I was proudly admitted into Columbia University. The high tuition fees and living expenses are a challenge, but my mother's lessons of not giving up and never losing faith motivate me to make it work.

My mother has taught me never to stop striving to be the best version of myself, and never give up on my goals. Even though she may not view her life as a success, I certainly do and would like to thank her for every sacrifice she made for the sake of my education, well-being, and future. And one day, I would like to open a scholarship fund in my mother's honor for students overcoming similar challenges to those she faced.