Undergraduate / My Mother's Words--CommonApp Essay [5]

Prompt: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

My Mother's Words

I carry my mothers legacy. A legacy of strength and resilience, a positive attitude, and a love for my family and morals more than anything else in this world. A legacy outlined in a letter she wrote to my siblings and I when we were too young to understand. I, the youngest, was 4 years old when the letter was written. My sister was 9, and my brother 11. She said that the letter was something that she wrote to us in case something ever happened to her, we would know how she wanted us to grow up, and support one another. The main reason for it was that my mother was still in a dangerous situation, she was a domestic violence survivor, and we as a family had just moved out of a D.V. shelter a couple of years before.

Luckily, we never had to find the letter, but my mom still kept a copy of it that she didn't show me until a few years ago, when I was a freshman in high-school. Reading it, I discovered a little piece of who I really am, and how much of an influence my mother has had on how I live my life. I realized that this letter was a sort of outline of how she wanted us to grow up, regardless of whether she was present or not. My mother had formed a list of 14 rules to live by, and 5 that stood out to me as things she has taught me that have formed my dreams and aspirations.

"Be Honest": Integrity is one of the most valuable traits that I have acquired through growing up with my mother's guidance. Admitting mistakes is something that I used to think was embarassing and shameful, but I realized, especially when being challenged academically, that working through and understanding mistakes is often more powerful than doing things perfectly from the beginning. With this guideline in mind, I have grown as a thinker and had the ability to be fearless in expressing my opinions through various situations in life, whether that's in class, or talking out a conflict with a friend or family member.

"Share your gifts with the world around you": Throughout high school, I have demonstrated my gift of laughter and leadership with groups like my peers to national organizations. Something that I have also shared is my love and passion for music and art. The importance of continuing to do this through life, for me, is crucial, and my mom has always stressed that if you don't share your gifts, then they're not worth having, and a lot of my passion in those areas has stemmed from a gift that someone else has shared with me.

"Laugh": I took my mother's sense of humor, sharing laughter and light-heartedness with others is something that I want to continue doing in whatever I choose to do. In our family, we have always firmly believed that laughter truly is the absolute best medicine.

"Work hard and study hard": This part of the formula has just been hardwired into my brain since I was little. My mom has earned everything she's been awarded, and she expects us all to do the same. Effort is always difficult to gauge, but I have worked my way through tough academic situations, my relationship with my father, and still come out knowing that all the hard work was worth it. My work ethic is something that I struggled with initially, but has strengthened significantly over time.

"Take Chances": I have learned that confident and sensible risks are worth taking. When I traveled to Senegal this past summer, I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know if I was going to like it, if the work we were going to do was even worth it, and I wasn't confident that I had as much to give as I expected to gain from the community that I would be joining for three weeks. I realized that when I got there, I had to combine all of the lessons that my mother had taught me, and be honest about my anxiety and excitement, fully open myself up to my friends (both Senegalese and American), laugh (at myself and with others), work hard at any task that was put in front of me, and take chances, trusting that everything would be fine.

Upon my return from that trip, I felt success, fulfillment, and complete contentment. Yes, there were challenges, of course there were risks that I may have regretted a little bit, but overall, I learned so much about myself and what I want to do with my life. I carried a legacy to Africa, I shared that with everyone around me, and I learned about their legacies and gifts. That was more powerful than anything I could have imagined.

***It doesnt really have an ending...suggestions?