My Inspiration

*This was a piece I wrote for a college essay, let me know what you think.

Trapped by a life of drugs, exploitation, sex, and financial struggle, my mere existence was a question in the eyes of my mother. My development into a baby in my mother’s womb soon became an option. I was a choice waiting to be made, and my chances of making it out as a living newborn soon became relatively low. The day after my mother’s decision was made up, a revision in my destiny occurred. Her twelve year old sister resolved to take full responsibility of my life, denying my mother the possibility of an abortion. My mother agreed with these conditions, and my presence in my aunt’s life would ultimately alter her lifetime plans and goals. She was deprived of an education, a steady income, and a suitable household, for the sake of my existence. Her sacrifice for my life means more than words to me, and I plan to honor her through my success in pursuing a stellar post-secondary education.

For most of my youth, I was oblivious to the switch in identities between my mother and my aunt. I considered my aunt as my "mother" and my biological mother as my "aunt". Protected by this sweet ignorance, I continued my childhood as any other, with the exception of my "mother's" extra push on my education.

When I was four years old, I can recall coming home to learn how to read. My "mother" presented before my eyes, “Cry Baby Duck”, and informed me that I would become a very important person one day, and it was extremely relevant that I learn how to read. Becoming excited by her enthusiasm, I sat hours upon hours on the sofa with her pronouncing unfamiliar sounds and connecting them with the words on the pages. Intentionally, her educational drawbacks soon became my strengths. I excelled academically throughout elementary, middle, and high school with the mindset that one day it would be up to me to rid my family of our financial hardships through my educational success. Knowing this, my "mother" felt obligated to tell me the truth about my past.

I can distinctly remember the day that my "mother" approached me with teary eyes, a shaken voice, and the information regarding my true beginning. She liberated my ignorance and captivated my respect towards her through apologetic sobs and reluctant tears. I calmly accepted the truth, comforted her with a steady gaze, and reassured her that I would never abandon her as I had been by my biological mother.

In my heart, my biological aunt is greater than a mother to me; she is my angel. I will forever be thankful for the chance she took with me and the sacrifices she made along the way. In return, I will succeed in the educational path she has laid out for me, and become the important person that she spoke of when I was a child. Through me, she will be able to fulfill her lifetime dreams, where happiness and pride measure her success.