A LIfe in Two Minutes assignment hit me at the heart. i shared a story very close to home, my childhood, It was not easy growing up for me, you see, my mother had me at only thirteen years old. She did not have the support of her parents because they felt like she was embarrassing the family by getting pregnant. They disowned her and kicked her out of their house, She became a nomad, a pregnant one that is, moving for place to place in search of support or any job that will help her save a little to raise her child. She was lost and lonely. My father was not around, he simply did not care. He was just a boy who could not handle any responsibility. so there she was all by herself, abandoned and scared. I don’t know how but she did it.  She kept her baby who had accompanied her through all nine months of struggle. All she had was me. A thirteen year old in a delivery room all alone. Though she was taking on a whole new life, remained hopeful. People questioned her motives, they thought, if she couldn’t even feed herself how is she going to feed her child? They made fun of her, pitted her under estimated her. She did it, she found a job found a good man and had two more children. Nobody believed in her but here i am today. She raised a smart girl, I have been an honor student since elementary school.  when i would receive awards i would always look into the crown of proud parents and there she was filled with tears of joy and accomplishment, Although we didn’t have much money she put it in every activity she wanted, swimming cheer leading basketball and even modeling. Thanks to her, i am the person i am today. Because she encouraged me, i overcame any and all expectations. People thought she would fail as a mother and that her kids would repeat her mistakes. Well i didn’t! We are not her mistakes, she says. Because if it wasn’t for me she would have never found the strenght to prosper. Here i am today, a twenty years old, full time college student, with no kids, a full time job and a internship at Seventeen Magazine. I even model because she believed in me. I could not thank her enough for everything she has done for me. She is my everything. She is my hero.

success by Valerie Mercado 1