Years passed. My mother kept working, and I kept studying. Every day, I carried two things in my bag: my books, and a photo of her pushing her garbage cart. It reminded me why I couldn’t give up.
I studied harder than anyone else I knew. I woke up at 4 a.m. to help her before school and stayed up late memorizing formulas and essays by candlelight.
When I failed a math exam, she hugged me and said,
“You can fail today. Just don’t fail yourself tomorrow.”
I never forgot that.
When I was accepted into the public university, I almost didn’t go — we couldn’t afford the fees. But my mother sold her cart, her only source of income, to pay for my entrance exam.
“It’s time you stop pushing garbage,” she said. “It’s time you start pushing yourself.”
That day, I promised her I would make it worth it.
THE GRADUATION DAY
Four years later, I stood on the stage of our university auditorium, wearing a gown that didn’t quite fit and shoes borrowed from a friend. The applause felt distant — what I heard most clearly was my heart pounding.
In the front row sat my mother. Her gloves were clean for the first time. She had borrowed a simple white dress from our neighbor, and her eyes were shining.
When my name was called — “Miguel Reyes, Bachelor of Education, Cum Laude” — the hall erupted in applause. My classmates, the same ones who once mocked me, now looked at me differently. Some even stood.
I walked up to the microphone to give the student address. My hands trembled. The speech I had prepared felt empty. Instead, I looked at my mother and said only this:
“You laughed at me because my mother collects garbage. But today, I’m here because she taught me how to turn garbage into gold.”
Then I turned to her.
“Mama, this diploma belongs to you.”
The hall went silent. Then, one by one, people began to clap — not polite applause, but the kind that comes from the heart. Many cried. Even the dean wiped his eyes.
My mother stood up slowly, tears streaming down her face, and held the diploma high above her head.
“This is for every mother who never gave up,” she whispered.
THE LIFE AFTER
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