My Hero, My Role Model, My Mother. by Giselle

My Hero, My Role Model, My Mother. by Giselle - March 2021 Scholarship Essay

Giselle Ponce
11 March 2021
My Hero, My Role Model, My Mother
Growing up I was always taught school was my first priority. I woke up, went to school, did my homework then went to bed. As a young child this cycle seemed useless to me, why was school so important? I couldn't grasp the idea that school was the key to success. I was a happy child with two loving parents, not a care in the world. Then in a matter of days, my life fell apart like a glass plate against the floor, I was shattered.
My father, the man who had always been there for me was gone leaving my mother a widow with 4 children to feed and take care of. My mother was a strong woman who never showed any sign of fear and stood tall to protect her children. She always prioritized my sibling and me, not caring if she didn’t eat or sleep. She would always hide her true self as to not seem weak, but I knew the real her. She was born in Puebla, Mexico, a small town with very few people. She was a small, curious, and brilliant child who loved reading. She loved going to school and had dreams of being successful and thriving. Her dreams were cut short by the stereotypical ideals of women and her strict parents. She was taught that school was for men since they would be more successful in the future and she was sent back home to clean, cook, and listen to her parents. So when she finally came to the US she made her own goals, deciding to live the life she wanted. She enrolled herself back in school and learned English so she could further her education. Coming home from school I would see her studying, reading books, writing notes, and verbally practicing. Some days I would help her practice and every day she came home from school she was so happy to share everything she learned. Life was finally coming together.
Or so we thought it was, my mother grew sick, this was strange for me. The woman who was always so strong and mighty was now a completely different person. It hurt me seeing my mother this way because I knew she hated feeling weak. Yet still, with all the pain she was enduring from chemotherapy she still managed to put on a smile and be there for my siblings. My mother was a fighter; she never gave up and continued fighting this monstrous disease called cancer. I was in my last year of middle school so excited to finally graduate and head to highschool. My mother had grown tired and I knew she could no longer continue to fight, it was time for her to go. On January 26, 2018, my mother passed away, and just before she left she told me “Stay in School, be the woman you want to be.”, even on her death bed she made sure I knew school as my first priority.
I was crumbled to pieces, once again falling apart and slacking off in school, why did school matter? Then one day it just clicked to me, school matters because I have the privilege my mother never had, school matters because the system is designed for me to fail, school matters because you need to be the woman you want to be. I graduated middle school and made a promise to my mother I would do everything in my power to be the woman I want to be.
My mother showed me resilience, leadership, and gratitude. With all the struggles she faced she still managed to be a wonderful mother and role model. Thanks to her I am going to college and I am becoming the woman I want to be.