College Admissions Essay: How My Mom Changed My Life

I was privileged growing up, but not in the sense that I had the “right” skin color or that my family grew up wealthy. I grew up privileged because my family valued books and knowledge. My childhood was spent the majority of the time at the library and I was constantly surrounded by books at home. My whole family’s lives were in books and they were found to be an oddity because they treasured books over material items. Growing up in this environment, I mimicked their philosophy. When my mom came home with a wagon filled with books, I was walking next to her with a stack in my arms. My mom is a writer, so it wasn’t hard knowing I wanted to be one as well. The idea that I could write just like what I grew up reading was so clear to me that that was my passion.
My parents escaped Iraq during the first Gulf War with none of their personal belongings, such as their diplomas. This didn’t stop my mom from going back to school in the United States and receiving her diploma again. I became inspired by her to finish my education and to become a writer, to not let obstacles prevent me from achieving what I want. The privilege I had that many others did not allowed me to know from a very young age where I was headed in life. The two constants I’ve had in my entire life have been school and writing. I began writing from early age, beginning with writing in other people’s books to my mother’s dismay. Soon, I would begin creating stories in class to make up my somewhat uninteresting life. I don’t remember a time I didn’t want to become a writer and I feel like University of Washington will further my career along. Which is why I want to get my diploma for English. My mother’s fight for her education allowed my literary world to expand and become as vast as it is