In a political landscape defined by division and mainstream media constantly focused on negative news, it is easy to forget that there are GREAT things happening everyday in our society.
Last month Evelyn Uba, a working mother of four, accomplished something great. After nearly a decade of hard work and dedication, she passed the bar exam and can now begin her dream job as a lawyer in California.
Uba migrated to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1983 at the age of 18 with a dream to graduate from law school and become a lawyer. But to say her transition was difficult is an understatement. Shortly after her arrival to the United States, Uba's father suffered a stroke, leading her into financial trouble and forcing her put her dreams on hold for over two decades. Only in 2005 was she able to resume studying law at California Southern Law School.
"I never stopped wanting to go to law school," she told Good Morning America. "After my last child turned 2, I went to a school that I could afford that was conducive to being a mom, going to work and making payments."
Uba accomplished the first step to achieving her ultimate goal when she finally finished law school in 2011. But ever since then, she has been trying to pass the bar exam. While working as a welfare professional, Uba would take the bar exam from time to time, but was consistently disappointed with less than ideal results. But while many people would have given up, Uba was determined to fulfill the promise she made to her father before his passing.
"I took the exam more than 10 times," she said. "I stopped counting after a while, but giving up certainly wasn't in my dictionary."
Every day, after finishing her day job as a welfare professional, Uba would start her second job as soon as she came home: studying for the bar. The incredibly difficult test required intense study sessions late into the night. While the difficult hours put some strain on her family life, Uba’s children continued to motivate her.
"My daughter, Naeche, once said to me, 'Mom, if you give up now, you can't get your time back. Then what would you have gained out of all the missed time you could've spent with us?'" said the mother of four. "So that always stuck in my head and I knew the only time I'd give up is when I'm dead."
Uba finally received the results she had worked so hard for in January after taking the exam in October. Her family celebrated appropriately. In a video her daughter shared on Twitter, the family can be seen jumping around and yelling to celebrate Uba’s incredible accomplishment. The video has amassed nearly 400,000 views.
my mom finished law school in 2011 and has been studying for the california BAR exam while raising 4 kids & working full time for the past 10 years. today? SHE PASSED THE BAR!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺
— naeche (@srrytothisman) January 9, 2021
THAT’S ESQUIRE NOW! pic.twitter.com/GHj8SiqkOP
In a subsequent video, Uba is seen kissing a picture of her father as she finally fulfilled her promise to him.
Now a licensed lawyer, Uba plans to work as a criminal defense attorney to help low-income individuals in struggling communities.
Uba is a prime example of the core principle to never give up on yourself, and that through hard work and dedication, anyone can achieve the American Dream.
"Eventually it's going to happen when God says it'll happen," said Uba. "It might not be easy, but you just have to keep going and never feel sorry for yourself."
H/T ABC News