Define your moments by Toni

Define your moments by Toni - October 2021 Scholarship Essay

I have been an avid reader since a very young age. My mother used to get up in the middle of the night and she would catch me with a clip-on lamp reading into all hours of the night. When I was eighteen I got the opportunity to work at our local college book store. I was in heaven! I loved to read the different novels for each English class each semester. One semester I got to re-read "I know why the caged bird sings" by Maya Angelou. I am sure that I read and re-read that book a dozen times. Maya Angelou taught me some of life's greatest lessons. Her perseverance and resilience still amazes me to this day. She taught me that you cannot let the moments in life define who you are as a person, but rather you define who you are as a person despite the moments that hurt you the most in life.
Maya Angelou was born poor and her parents abandoned her, but she was still thankful and proud of how she was raised and who raised her. Later in life she went to live with her mother and was the victim of sexual assault. She may have remained silent for a long time afterwards, but she still rose above it and went on to write about it and be an advocate for victims. She also spent some time living with her father. He put her in situations that children should not experience. Despite all of this negativity in her life, she turned her experiences into something positive through the power of her writing. She was a famous writer, humanitarian, an advocate, and much more.
In 2016 my mother passed away. I tried to pick up the pieces and live my life again. My mother and I were best friends. I thought I was doing an good job of it to be honest. I kept thinking of Maya Angelou and how she persevered. In 2017 my life took another blow. My husband left me. He said I was too sad and depressed. But still I persevered. Him leaving lead me to apply for and get a new job as a dispatcher. This is something that I would have never done on my own. Later that year I found out I was pregnant. After years of specialists telling me I was physically unable to have children, I was pregnant. I was so excited. It might not have been under the perfect circumstances, but I was determined to make things work. My family reacted as if I were 13 and pregnant and not 30 and pregnant. They all abandoned me. I made the choice, just as Maya Angelou had, to have my child. After a difficult pregnancy (both physically and emotionally) things in my life started to level out. It took me several years to get to the place I am today, but I can honestly say that I made it.
Now, I am a 35 year old legal assistant. Despite everything that has happened in my life, I am happy it happened that way and I am happy that I chose to be resilient like Maya Angelou. I could have given up many times, but I know why I am here and I know that it is my destiny to define my moments and not let the moments in my life define me.