How to be a Positive Light by Lauren

How to be a Positive Light by Lauren - September 2013 Scholarship Essay

     My most inspirational academic role-model is my mother. She dealt with constant negativity her entire childhood. Even though they loved her, her family told her she would not make it far in life. She was told that she better learn to cook and clean well so that a man with good money would want to marry her. A housewife was all she was expected to amount to in her life. Many would be discouraged by having those they love constantly tell them that they are not going to be able to achieve their dreams. She did not at all feel discouraged. Those negative words inspired her to want to prove them all wrong. She believed that she could do anything she set her mind to and that is what she did. She went on to be the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She currently has her Master's degree and is working as an Executive Director for a non-profit organization. She helps children in an at-risk community graduate from high school and go on to college. She is helping to be a positive light in their futures and is encouraging them to do anything they want in life.      My mother's story is proof that anything is possible if you are willing to put forth the effort to make it happen. She inspires me to want to be a better person and work hard for everything I want and need in life. She taught me that in order to have a bright future and a good life, I have to be the one to fuel my car on the road to life. Once achieved, I, too, can be a positive light in someone else's life.