Essay Contest Honorable Mention: Shanika Bell

by Shanika Bell

My favorite lively woman is my cousin Latasha Clark. She is my lively woman because she has been through so much in her life. When she was a young child she had to go through seeing her mother being abused. She grew up in a house of violence, which, I think, does not affect her now. Latasha had to go through poverty growing up. She had to watch her younger brothers and sisters all the time while her mother was out partying. She could never really go outside at a young age because she always had to babysit, but she continued to go to school. Even though during the beginning of her senior year she got pregnant, Latasha still managed to graduate from high school. She had her baby, and then got her own apartment.

By her being the second oldest of her mother kids, her younger brothers and sisters look up to her. She was and still is their role model. She took care of her younger siblings, and her own daughter without anyone to help. But two years later she had another child. She was struggling for a while, but she managed to get a job at the airport where she made a lot of money for her family. Lately she has been taking care of her siblings and mother. She has been doing a lot for me, too. She has been giving me money when I need it. Basically, she has been taking care of me for the past last year. Just recently, she had her last child. But she is still doing well, and taking care of her business. She just shows you no matter how mush you go through you can still be the best, and live a nice life.