Superman by Ariel

Superman by Ariel - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

If you were to ask me who I️ imagine superman to be in real life, I️ would say Amber Finch. That’s my mother. My mom is a member of the small percentage of female African Americans that have gradated from Stanford University, she got married and gave birth to me while she was still in law school, had three more kids in the next eleven years after law school, and became a partner at one of the most successful law firms in the country in 2014. On her first day as partner in January of 2014, she was only 36 years old.
Despite the fact that she is a lawyer and I️ want to be an engineer, my mom is the spitting image of the woman I️ am working to become. Being a young black woman in the 90s and early 2000s, my mom’s success did not come easy. In fact, she had to work ten times harder to earn her keep than her most of her coworkers and classmates. It is hard enough getting into Stanford, but graduating from Stanford is something that many people could not even dream of. While many Stanford students were out partying, my mom was in her room studying. While many law students at USC attempted to relive their college days at the USC football tailgates, my mom spending the little time she had available studying, because when she was not focused school, she was focused on me — feeding me, bathing me, losing sleep so I️ could get some, taking me out for walks, and sometimes just holding me.
In the midst of my mom’s career as an attorney and partner at Reed Smith LLP, my mom has trained me to work hard at absolutely everything I️ do. No matter the rate of success and as long as I️ try with all of my might, my mom supports my academic efforts, but she will never stop pushing me to go higher and achieve greater successes. My grandma used to remind my mom of the phrase “academic excellence” in attempt to inspire her to work towards her Stanford acceptance letter. My mom has not only passed down that same phrase to me, but also reminds me of a new phrase, “intellectual vitality,” which is also meant to inspire me to achieve my goals of attending a high academic university.
For as long as I️ can remember, as a direct result of wanting to be my mom, and being raised by my mom, I️ have never settled for less when it comes to my academics. I️ might not get an A on every paper, or a perfect score on every test, but I️ have been taught to always do the best that I️ can, and once I️ do, I️ can take small steps toward big dreams, like being another female African American graduate of Stanford University, just like my mommy.