I Want to Be My Mommy by Vivian

I Want to Be My Mommy by Vivian - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” my Kindergarten teacher had asked the class. With a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, she was ready to record our individual responses for the yearbook we would each get after graduation. Looking back in that yearbook as an adult, I saw a picture of 6-year-old me with bright, round eyes full of hope and wonder, and my quite peculiar response to the question: “I want to be my Mommy.”

Yes, amidst all the doctors, policemen, firemen, and teachers, there was shy, little me who wanted to literally be her mom apparently. Being born to immigrant parents meant that my English skills suffered throughout my early school years in many hilarious ways. Because of my limited grasp on the language, I thought the question had meant “Who do you want to be like when you grow up?”

However, there was some merit to my response. I realize now that I am very alike my mom in a lot of ways, in terms of qualities and values. These influenced my actual career choices, which changed a lot growing up. In elementary school, I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer (even though I had never taken swimming lessons before); in middle school, I could not decide between becoming a doctor or a dentist; in high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian; and currently in college, I want to go into a field of research related to microbiology and genetics. It is easy to see that I had a lot of dreams. My mom, on the other hand, never had a chance to dream about a career choice. She did not have the opportunity to get higher education, had to take care of many sick family members while growing up, and had to pack up and move to another country on a whim in order to better her life. But what she valued most in a future was a comfortable life and perfect job, which is something I myself have come to wish for, after having looked up to her for so long. Mirroring my mother’s qualities of perseverance, compassion, and adaptability, I dreamed big because I wanted to be as strong as her, but I also did my best to work hard in school and find the right lifestyle for me.

At first, I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer because I wanted to push myself to the limits. Next, I wanted to be in the medical field because I wanted to help take care of people and make a difference in their lives. Then, I wanted to be a vet because I grew up around many pets and wanted to not only save animal lives, but also educate people on how to properly care for their pets so that both sides could benefit. However, in the end, after much research, job shadowing, and talking to those in some of my later intended career fields, I decided that I wanted to have a lower stress job while also being able to do what best suits me. As it turns out, I do not have any swimming skills because I never grew up around any bodies of water, and I would rather work in hospital labs rather than on the scene because I enjoy the quieter aspects of exploration and discovery.

Career-wise, my choices have definitely evolved in drastic ways throughout my life, from cutely striving to be a doppelganger, to striving to be someone who can combine her passion of learning, desire to improve her skills and the world, and love of helping others in a research career. However, characteristically, I stayed true to what 6-year-old me wanted. My mom’s go-getter personality and strong will remain in me, and I will use those traits to become the best scientist I can be.