Two in One

Born by the name Maria Patricia on April 2, 1966 my mother is one of the few women in my life I truly admire. Raising three kids on her own has not always been easy, but she has managed to accomplish filling in for both roles of mother and father. Patricia became a single mother on May 9, 1997, and has remained one for the last 13 years. There have been other challenges and obstacles in her life but she has not stopped persevering. Although my mother puts up a tough front she is a loving caring individual who currently works at a day care/school for kids with autism. My mother is two-in-one; there is the concerned mom and loving side of her and there is the disciplinarian side of her. In my household we got to see more of the firm and strict role, and for that I am grateful. My mom is a strong believer in higher education and if she had not persisted on the importance of my education I would not be attending school today. "A person with a college education is more suitable than a person without" is what she always said. I followed her advice and enrolled at Santa Monica College in the fall of 2007. My second day at college was one of the worst experiences in my life. After many tears that day I was determined college was not for me. Later that night she said, "Zaira come here" I walked over to her bed and she hugged me and said, "tomorrow will be a better day."