"Tiger Mom"

My mom is the strongest person I know. Her hard work ethic and her sacrifices for her family, my brother, and me are quite remarkable.

She grew up in a very poor family who fled to Hong Kong during the Communist Revolution after the communists ransacked their house and stole all their money. She had 7 sisters and brothers. Her two oldest sister had to work in the factory to put food on the table. Growing up, my mother’s mother often underscored the notion that if my mother failed, she would end up in the factory. Fearful of that, my mom worked hard and got her physical therapy license to practice in Hong Kong and then, over the course of a decade, moved to the US to work as a physical therapist.

Having a diffiult childhood led my mom to vow to raise educated children with many more opportunities than she ever had. She enrolled my brother and me into different educational platforms such as John Hopkin’s CTY or Stanfords ETGY or the Russian School of Math program throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. Moreover, she pushed us to explore different disciplines through sports programs such as the Boston Warriors AAU basketball program or art programs such as the New Art Center art camps. My mom wanted my brother and me to be exposed to many different subjects while having a strong academic foundation. More importantly, my mom wanted us to be happy.

Nevertheless, she was also very cautious, always planning 3 or 4 steps ahead. While my brother and I were in elementary school, she would work 3 jobs starting for 3 AM and ending at 6 PM and picking us up from school in the middle of work shifts. Both her and my father wanted to work as hard and long hours, often sacrificing their own health and social lives, to save money for me and my brother’s college education or potential healthcare costs.

When people meet my mother, they would consider my mom as a so called “tiger mom” or “helicopter” mom, but I see her as perhaps the most caring and dedicated mother. She instilled her hard work ethic into my brother and me. Her and my father’s hard work ethic and sacrifices motivate me to this day.