Rowinna Leung

What are the criteria of being heroes? From my point of view, heroes are very special. A hero is someone who perseveres. They should have goals, hopes, and dreams. They should be enthusiastic about what they are doing. They should be a responsible person. They should be very kind too. They should do things for others even though they don’t want to. They should be willing to sacrifice their time to help others. My hero lives up to all those expectations. So, who is my hero? My hero is my mom, Rowinna Leung, the one who has given birth to me.

My mom was born in a poor family. There were four kids at her house. She had one younger sister and two younger brothers. She was the oldest child. When she was sixteen, my grandparents asked her not to go to school anymore as they didn’t have much money left and they still had to provide an education for the other three kids. Although my mom was only sixteen at that time, she was very mature for her age. She realized that if she wanted to change the situation, she must finish at least high school, so that she would be able to compete with others fighting for a good job that would provide better wages and benefits. Finally, she had a high school diploma without using her parents' money. She had worked in a factory since her parents said they would not give any support in her education. She rushed off to work everyday after school. By the time she got home, it was already mid-night. However, she still could not sleep. She had to do her homework and revise her books. It was the hardest time for her. Maybe for other people, they would have given up a long time ago, but not my mom. She tried her best to achieve her goal. Lastly, she succeeded.

My mom is a very favorable person. By the time I was born, she made a lot of sacrifices to the family. She had quit her job when she was pregnant. She had stayed at home taking good care of me for about six years. When I became older, she went back to work again. She worked as a clerk in an elderly center. Typing tasks, and filing data were her actual work. But usually, she did more than she needed to. She spent time with the elders who lived there. She liked spending time on talking and playing with them. She was also very respectful to them. In return, all people in the elderly center respected my mom too as not so many people were willing to sacrifice their time to do something which was not related to them. But that’s what my mom did!

My mom is very kind too. In these recent years, she kept giving financial support to one of her younger brothers as he got both mental and health problems since he had divorced with his wife and at the same time, he had also lost his job. Now due to his health problems, he can just do some temporary jobs which the payment is very low and it is not enough for his rent and all the necessaries he needs. Sometimes, my mom didn’t want to keep financing him as she believed that my uncle had the ability to find a better job just like before. The only problem is that he had given up on himself. Though my mom was not willing to do so but still she had no choice as they were brother and sister. It was her part of responsibility and she could not find any reasons to stop doing that.

My mom is definitely my hero. I am so proud to have her as my mom. She has played a good role model in my eyes. I hoped that one day I can become half of the woman she is. I love you, mommy.