I had a meaningful conversation with an old friend two nights ago about her current struggles in university. We met two years ago when she was just a freshman and I was a junior. I was tasked to guide her in her application as member in our major’s organization and now she’s running as chairperson for the next school year.
Our conversation reminded me of another reason why we must always work hard no matter the circumstances. I realized that even though we work hard to please God and to achieve our goals, we must also work hard and persist for the people that watch us and consider us as role models. The drive and ambition I have now would not exist if I didn’t have people who succeeded by the skin of their teeth while I was growing up.
I was reminded specifically of female role models. Those who rose up against adversity and surpassed the limits placed upon them by society. My mother is a single parent by choice and she received a lot of judgement for that decision. People doubted her ability to provide and to parent, yet here I am today, a full grown adult who had a happy childhood.
Though I would never dream of single parenthood (I’m not strong enough), my mother, in a way, has broken a glass ceiling for me. She rose through the corporate ladder by her own merit, yet still was able to guide me and inculcate in me values that have become incredibly important now that I’m an adult (though of course these pangaral sessions were greatly unappreciated when I was a teenager). She defied the “either-or”, she showed me it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too.
We have to be strong and persistent through , for every woman that decides to do so creates a better world for the women that are yet to come.
