“My parents were not wealthy, they didn’t have power or influence. But you, with the grace of God, dreams and hard work can accomplish things you cannot begin to imagine. There is much power when you have great dreams and seize the moments you are meant to seize.” The fresh-eyed teenagers brushed the tassel from their faces as they nodded. Being on stage, that’s what you were supposed to do. Being in the audience and two years removed from graduation, I nodded too but also thought, "Perseverance.” I heard this at my church by former member and then associate justice Eva Guzman of the 14 District Court of Appeals. Growing up, in my household she was always referred to as la abogada or the Lawyer and later la jueza or the Judge. I never really understood the significance of her accomplishments until later that November in my voting booth; on the screen, there it was: Justice Eva Guzman, 14th District Court of Appeals, Incumbent. "There it is again," I thought to myself, "perseverance."
My inner monologue began: Do I have it? Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? I’m the first male in my family to go to college. I’m going to college on scholarship to make something of myself. I taught myself to play the guitar in the last year, no one was there making me do a thing. I did it. This may all be true but do I have perseverance?
I love playing the guitar. It relaxes me. It lets me have fun with others and I can create music people enjoy. It has added countless hours of joy in my life. I can impart my knowledge to someone else and they can experience what I feel and what I love. Now what if I had failed? In the grand scheme of things, would I be considered a failure if I gave up on the guitar? No, I wouldn’t. I would merely be one of those ...
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...y establish roots in this country many years ago. Opening checking and savings accounts for a community which has a history of being distrustful towards banks in Latin America was good but it wasn’t good enough for me. I knew I could do more. I want to go many steps beyond this one and help those who want to be part of the America Dream come to this country, legally. Families with perseverance, much like the perseverance I know I have.
The words I heard from Justice Eva Guzman have penetrated my heart and have helped mold my path. I cannot begin to imagine to know what I can accomplish with hard work and great dreams. To be a lawyer one must be able to accomplish the mountains of reading, to endure the countless cases, the insufferable hours. I know I have the ambition. I know I have the abilities. This is my moment and I need to seize it. I have the perseverance.
Racial discrimination is an ongoing reality in the lives of many Hispanics. Being a minority and living in poverty is tough. Hispanics have not always been very welcomed in America; they face challenges getting jobs, and being socially accepted. My Beloved World is a memoir by Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor grew up in a very poor neighborhood. She was diagnosed at the age of eight with diabetes, which was very dangerous because of the lack of technology. Her father died when she was very young, yet she is still successful. She is the first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court. Despite the challenges in her life, Sotomayor is driven, independent, and intelligent.
What are some of the themes in the life of average people? Is it heritage, love for family, persevering through all life’s struggles, loyalty to oneself or other people. It could possibly be all of those; maybe even none of them. In S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders many of the characters live hard lives that contain complex themes. Three of the most important themes in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders are loyalty to oneself or other people, love for family and friends, and perseverance through all of life’s struggles.
“I have a dream that my children will 1 day be in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. Grit is using Passion, Inspiration, and perseverance to overcome failure to succeed. Martin Luther King JR. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on the 15th of January in 1929. In the US, Martin King had a seismic impact on race relations beginning in the mid-1950’s. King was a civil rights activist as well as a Baptist minister. Martin Luther King JR used inspiration, passion, and perseverance to achieve his goal of changing society so that people would see blacks and whites as equal.
“The good guy always wins” is a phrase we often hear growing up. Parents reassure their kids that the hero will win despite the trials he encounters. Joseph Campbell, who coined the term “monomyth”, identifies these trials as a part of a pattern in the hero’s journey. This pattern consists of separation, initiation, and return. Osmosis Jones goes through this pattern with only a few pieces missing. The hero in this story teaches others that giving up is not an option. One must have perseverance to complete a goal, in this case, to save Frank. The journey that Jones takes to help him get through the monomyth helps develop the theme of perseverance because he never gives up on what he wants.
I hope that through this experience I can grow my understanding of the legal system and its affects on others. I feel as though working diligently with those who are in dire need of legal help will advance me in the path of law at a rapid pace. Being immersed with people who have
“Lee is the greatest military genius in America, myself not accepted¨ by Winfield Scott--Robert E. Lee is one of the greatest military generals in history. He led the Confederate army with pride through numerous battles. Lee started as an ordinary soldiers and was quickly promoted by the president of the South to become a leader of the Virginian army to give him the confidence he needed to be successful; he led his soldiers to victory multiple times gaining the faith he needed to succeed. Robert E. Lee is one of the most successful generals because of his perseverance, strategies, and his leadership.
“I vividly remember my grandmother steaming clothes from the pot to hang on the line to dry, she called to me, ‘Oprah Gail, you better watch me now, cause one day you got to know how to do this for yourself.’” Still, small voice inside me, really more a feeling than a voice, said, ‘This will not be your life. Your life will be more than hanging clothes on a line’”(Daily Mail). Oprah Winfrey, an African-American female known for empowering women and being the first black female billionaire has overcome so many difficult challenges and abuse. Even though she's been through these challenges, she continues to persevere. This perseverance helped her to grow to become one of the most famous icon for women around the world.
Sandra Day O’Connor once said, “The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender.”1 Here Sandra exemplifies her believes the power she has on the court is not based on the fact that she is a girl, but in the power that comes from her arguments. This example of confidence resonates as people often think that woman cannot do the same thing as men, but from the day she was appointed to the Supreme Court O’Connor changed politics forever. From growing up on a ranch in El Paso, to becoming the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, she opened so many doors for women in male-dominated professions that were thought to be unattainable.
Growing up in a country where girls are constantly advised to be doctors, nurses, educators, and any other profession except law enforcement motivated me even further in accomplishing just that. Even as a little girl I simply could not ignore the violence, corruption, and inequality that affected my country; I wanted to fight the violence that brought misery to many, and bring justice to those who desperately deserved it. My goals of pursuing a career in criminal justice were constantly struck down and criticized throughout the years. However, once an impossible dream became a reality when I immigrated to the United States, the land of opportunity. Though my hope was restored, living and adapting to an unfamiliar environment with no family or support proved to be yet another obstacle. Witnessing my parents struggle to adapt, feeling helpless, and confused to provide us a better life has been an immense source of inspiration that drives me to seize every opportunity as it were my last.
Before my Grandfather petitioned my family and I to come to the U.S, I had so many assumptions about what America is all about. I illustrated that my family and I would have better lives once we relocate. What we didn 't know is
It is through the events in the journey of life that shapes and molds who we are as people. As for me, immigrating to America was one of those milestones that have shaped who I am. Those who have had the opportunity of moving from a different country to America know what a privilege it is. I felt the same honor to know that I would be journeying to the land of opportunity. Without hesitance, I spent the last two months packing and making the final preparations before moving to a new continent. Although it was a bittersweet time, leaving my beloved family behind, I knew that I couldn’t resist the treasure that waited for me in the new land. Coming from a developing nation the high level of sophistication that greeted me on arrival to America made feel like I was in paradise.
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the practice of law is learning to be a lawyer. Virtually every new lawyer today is a graduate of law school, a much dreaded, but fulfilling journey to practicing law. Modern law schools differ greatly from their earlier counterpart, in that many more requirements and responsibilities exist. In colonial times, students pursuing a career in law would enter institutions for instruction of the law, and would automatically become qualified to practice law in the courts after a few years of study. Today, however, becoming a lawyer takes much more training, rigorous work and effort, and many years of studying in order to take a bar exam of which passage represents qualification. There is much more consideration concerning who is admitted, what kind of curriculums are taught, how exams are offered, what kinds affiliation exist, how much law schools differ from one another, and what it ultimately takes to be fully competent as a practicing attorney.
I notice that I finished my cappuccino and have been “sipping” on air for the past fifteen minutes; I laugh at myself and toss the empty cup in the trash. Then I fall back into my thoughts, and I realize that I’m proud of me. I proud of my tall bookshelves full of law books which I have all read, my big desk with piles of folders with cases waiting to be “freed”, the confidence I have in the courtroom, the way I worked so hard to be able to say that I love my job, I’m round of how eager I am to come in here every morning and I never want the day to end so I can stay just a little longer. A lot of people can only dream of what I have.
I am good at many fields and have been involved in various kinds of extra-curricular activities. I love to sing and I have been in chorus since third grade in elementary school. I am now in a special class for chorus in Taipei Municiple Zhongshan Girls High School and our chorus has won many awards in different competitions. Besides music, I have also been good at sports since elementary school, when I attended many running events and city wide competitions. Aside from activities in school, I had been a dancer for more than ten years until I decided to focus on the preparation for the Basic Examination for entering high school. I have tried different activities in various fields, which cultivates my ability to learn fast and the ambition to aim high. Aside from this, perseverance is one characteristic of mine. For example, I always go through the process carefully before getting into an experiment. If I find something unusual, I am so willing to spend time thinking and discussing with my friends until I get a reasonable result.
In conclusion, I stand a strong woman who was once broken by bad decisions. I stand a stronger woman with the guidance of family. I stand a proud woman whose destiny became my backbone, which lead my heart to believe again. Through all my trials and tribulations, I stand humble to know that I have made it this far, to stand side by side with my determination to become a law student. A law student, who will go on to pass the Bar, and complete one’s destiny to become a lawyer, a lawyer who will stand strong, proud, and humble to help families overcome their legal obstacles.