The very wise, very inspirational Oprah Winfrey once said, “For everyone of us that succeeds, it’s because there’s somebody there to show you the way out.” For me that person was and continues to be my mother. My mom had me at the age of 17, did not attend college, and raised me in a single-parent household. But none of those factors were her weaknesses; they were her strengths. They are partly the reason why she is such a good mother; she knew early on that she wanted something better for my brothers and me. I credit my mother for being the person that showed me the way out when things got tough. She motivates me to put my best foot forward and try my very best in everything I do everyday. She is the reason I succeed.

When it came to college, I did not always know what I wanted to pursue but my mom instilled it in my head that not going was not an option. Having me at such a young age limited her future opportunities of obtaining a degree, but she made sure it would not become my limitation. She reminds me daily how much she wishes she had pursued a degree, and how many opportunities await ahead of me as a college student. I initially did not know what I wanted out of college, I just knew I had to go. Moreover, I always knew there was a difference between a technical and liberal arts education but I had never put much thought into what I wanted for myself; I just chose a major and applied to colleges.

My first semester English had a distinct theme that was consistent throughout every assignment we did. The theme was education, specifically the difference between a liberal arts education as opposed to a technical. Essentially, my professor wanted us to complete the class knowing what we wanted out of college and the education we yearned for. It is without question that after taking this course, I desire a liberal arts education for myself. 

I know that a liberal arts education will ultimately shape me into the student I hope to become but above all, it will leave me with more than just a degree after four years. A liberal arts education will allow me to graduate with the ability to be a well-adjusted and competent member of society, as well as a critical thinker. Although I had never put much thought into the type of education I wanted until after this course, the goals behind obtaining a liberal arts degree are similar to the platitudes or ideas my mother raised me with because she has always stressed the importance of thinking – thinking of my consequences, thinking about others, and thinking of the future.