Reflecting on my life, I’ve had so many incredible female role models. I’ve been taught hard work, patience, and how to handle adversity from women in my life who have cared and wanted the best for me. From my mother to my grandma to my counselor, I have been blessed to learn essential lessons from extraordinary women.
When reflecting on lessons my mother taught me, the biggest that comes to mind is hard work. My mother was and is, to this day, a strong woman. Life has not always been easy, but that was never an excuse. After my parents divorced, my mother was now able to establish a new life and carve out a lane for herself. Through a crazy work ethic and innovative thinking, she gave me the courage to believe I could do anything. She showed up to her job early and worked harder than anyone, winning multiple awards and eventually being named a Marketing Manager at Bank of America. Watching my mom work so hard as a kid helped me establish my courage in a world that frequently wants people to fail more than succeed.
My grandmother was a different kind of teacher. She would talk for hours and hours, telling me stories of her life and all she had accomplished. My grandmother went to medical school at the age of 44. After years of teaching, she decided to finally act on her lifelong dream of being an otolaryngologist, a head and neck surgeon specialist. She graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine and practiced medicine for the next 30 years until her retirement. Her actions showed me that energy flows in its own time, not someone else’s. That you have to work smart, persevere through hard times, and you will receive what you desire. When people have become stressed out today due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I reflect on these messages and use them to guide me through the turbulent time COVID-19 has brought upon us. They help me stay focused on my vision and goals while reminding me that the setbacks are only temporary. I am very thankful that I have learned these lessons and can use them for the rest of my life.
Lastly, I’d like to speak about a lesson I learned from my most recent instructor, my guidance counselor. During my senior year of high school, I was having a tough time deciding which college to attend in the fall. My guidance counselor was tremendous in helping me decide where to attend. She broke the process down, made it make sense to me, and helped me understand what I wanted and how to get it done. My guidance counselor also made sure to communicate with me frequently in the process. She developed plans, helped organize the process, and even invited me to her office to give me personal one-on-one counseling.
We developed a great sense of trust, in which she helped me by making sure I was informed of the college admissions process and how I could use it to set me up for success. Eventually, I settled on Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and I could not be happier with my choice. Morehouse College has and continues to assist me in pursuing my dreams. I plan to go into investment banking and private equity and the lessons [my guidance counselor] imparted to me will last forever. I’m truly blessed to have her in life as someone who I can genuinely trust.
My mother, my grandmother, and my guidance counselor have been hugely influential in my life. Without them, I know I would surely not be the person I am today. They have guided, taught, and assisted me in more ways than one, along with helping me achieve my goals one lesson at a time. I am thankful to have such strong female leaders in my life and have their lessons to pass onto someone else one day eventually.
By Chris Jones
Memunatu Magazine Intern, Fall 2020
The article has been edited for clarity and brevity
