A Person Who's Influence You
My Mother
To find a person who has significantly influenced me, I don’t have to go anywhere farther than my own back yard. Stood roughly over five feet tall, my mother represents a woman who dedicated and hard-working. She single-handedly raised me, my brother, and my sister since my dad died in 1997. She showed me what hard work, opportunity, and respect to others is all about.
As an immigrant family from Cambodia, we came to the United States in 2002. None of us knew any English, especially my mom. As an adult, it’s difficult for her to learn the new language and adapt to the culture. It’s hard for her to find a job since most places require that you speak English. Despite these challenges, my mom did not back down and found herself a job at a food factory where she earns a little more than a minimum wage. She works the night shift and would come home tired, but yet never shows a sign of stopping. I once told her, “Mom, why don’t you go to school and learn English so you could find a better job.” She said, “If I’m busying trying to learn, who’s going to feed you?” And then she added, “Don’t worry about me, just worry about yourself in school. If you don’t want me to be like me you better do well in school and go to college.” Since then I realized that she doesn’t have the time and opportunity that I have, to go to school and learn at a young age. She showed me that opportunity doesn’t always come, and I may not take it for granted. I have the opportunity to thrive and learn to the fullest. No gift in the world can match the gift of opportunity that my mom presented to me.
My mom was not just a hard working woman. She is a woman with integrity and respectfulness. She raised and taught me the same way. She taught me to respect my mentors, teachers, friends, and those around me. She once told me, “If you expect respect from a person, it’s the same thing they expected from you.” These words still burry deep inside me since the day they were told. They
To find a person who has significantly influenced me, I don’t have to go anywhere farther than my own back yard. Stood roughly over five feet tall, my mother represents a woman who dedicated and hard-working. She single-handedly raised me, my brother, and my sister since my dad died in 1997. She showed me what hard work, opportunity, and respect to others is all about.
As an immigrant family from Cambodia, we came to the United States in 2002. None of us knew any English, especially my mom. As an adult, it’s difficult for her to learn the new language and adapt to the culture. It’s hard for her to find a job since most places require that you speak English. Despite these challenges, my mom did not back down and found herself a job at a food factory where she earns a little more than a minimum wage. She works the night shift and would come home tired, but yet never shows a sign of stopping. I once told her, “Mom, why don’t you go to school and learn English so you could find a better job.” She said, “If I’m busying trying to learn, who’s going to feed you?” And then she added, “Don’t worry about me, just worry about yourself in school. If you don’t want me to be like me you better do well in school and go to college.” Since then I realized that she doesn’t have the time and opportunity that I have, to go to school and learn at a young age. She showed me that opportunity doesn’t always come, and I may not take it for granted. I have the opportunity to thrive and learn to the fullest. No gift in the world can match the gift of opportunity that my mom presented to me.
My mom was not just a hard working woman. She is a woman with integrity and respectfulness. She raised and taught me the same way. She taught me to respect my mentors, teachers, friends, and those around me. She once told me, “If you expect respect from a person, it’s the same thing they expected from you.” These words still burry deep inside me since the day they were told. They