My Father by Vaneeza

My Father by Vaneeza - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

Every student who wants to go to college, always talks about why they are essential to the school. Yet, the student never acknowledges the people who make them who they are today. Now If I were to give one word that explains perfectly why I want to go to school I could choose, "father." Growing up, my parents were the ones who built my foundation; the people that I turned to for help in every matter. Of the two, my father was my greatest inspiration. He has been my best friend, my influence through life, and my everyday motivator.
Growing up, I never understood the struggles and hardships of life. I grew up in a protected environment, where no one could harm me while I was under the roof my father built. He came to the United States as a 21 year old immigrant from Pakistan, with more obligations on his shoulders that is expected of one that age. He left school to take care of his entire family; he worked hard get his sisters into good colleges, to pay the bills, and did all of this by working three jobs everyday. Even after he got married to my mother, he worked long night shifts to take care of us. By the time I was 5, I remember my father starting his own businesses. The first was a restaurant in the local mall. I can only remember the good parts, where I would get ice cream whenever I went to see him. But, by the time I was 8 he opened up his own mattress place. I recall him rebuilding the broken walls, and putting his blood, sweat, and tears into the business. Everyday he worked till he could no longer stand, to make sure his business stood out from the others. Unfortunately, the downfall, after 7 years of fortune, took a toll on our family. I was 15 by then; my father worked on establishing another business of his own. I had begun helping build and run his new store: a dollar store. I remember the stocking of the shelves being the most agonizing and tedious work for the both of us, yet, somehow we both would pull through and treat ourselves to pizza by the end of the day. A year later, he shut his business down and moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he now works as a restaurant manager. I call him every night as he works endlessly to make sure the caterings, the weddings, and the dining is perfect. He stays up till 5 A.M. on the daily to make sure his work was the best that he could do, if not better.
My father is the most hardworking person I know. Without him, I would not have a best friend. Even with his hectic schedule, since day one, he has come home with the biggest smile on his face ready to make me laugh no matter how tired he was. He has been my biggest supporter and motivator through the good and bad in my life, the man that cheered for me at my karate tournaments, and the one who carried me to my bed when I fell asleep on the couch after a long night. He has taken care of me and my family since the beginning. I want to go to college for him. To show him that his hard work and late nights to keep my stomach full, my childhood happy, and a roof over my head was worth his time. My father’s work ethic is unlike any other, and I want to make him proud of who I have become because of the utmost respect I have for him.
My father. My inspiration.