Who I am as a person, as a friend and as a role model, is based on what my mom taught me. She laid the foundation long before I knew what it meant to grow. Before I understood ambition, she lived it. Before I recognized strength, she embodied it. And that is what I continue to stand on.Â
My mom was the first in her family to go to college. The descendant of immigrants, she was raised in a small town where everyone knew one another. Told that she wouldn’t be able to go to college, she worked her butt off balancing school and long shifts at a restaurant. When she left for college, she left home with more hope than certainty, carrying her parents’ sacrifices like invisible baggage. She worked for every inch of her success, building something solid out of the unknown.Â
I think about my life often, especially how privileged I am. I am living the life that my mom dreamt of. She didn’t just build a career; instead, she built stability, opportunity and love. She built a home for three children to grow and succeed with opportunities that she didn’t have. And because of her, I get to dream without questioning.Â
But I’ve learned that foundations aren’t just meant to hold you still. They’re meant to help you rise.Â
Every time that I push myself, whether it be in school, in work or in who I’m becoming, I feel my mom’s presence behind me: not as pressure, but as inspiration. Her work ethic hums quietly in the back of my mind, reminding me that nothing worth having comes easy. That growth is slow, uneven and sometimes lonely, but it’s what she fought for me to have.Â
When I think about her now, I envision her hands. Always moving, always doing. The hands that built, cooked, comforted, prayed and held me even when they were tired. I see the strength to come home after a long day of work and hold everything together. She never let the cracks show; yet, it’s those cracks, the sleepless nights and heart to hearts with me that made the foundation strong enough to hold us all.Â
My mom doesn’t just live in our home. She lives in me. In my laughter, my persistence, my will to keep going. She is the ground beneath me, but she’s also the light that keeps me climbing higher. I know one day I’ll build something of my own, maybe a family and hopefully a legacy, and when I do, I’ll remember her foundation. The one built from love, courage and every ounce of strength she could give.Â
And as I keep building, I know I’ll never outgrow her, I will just grow from her.Â
Because everything I can and continue to be stands on everything she already built. I’m definitely still growing, still adding to what she began. Every success I earn feels like another layer to the structure she started. Every step forward feels like proof that her sacrifices mattered.Â
Thank you mom, for everything. Your support means more than you will ever know.