My mom and I aren't all that similar. I love clothes, fashion, and shopping while she just wants a comfortable pair of shoes and jeans with a nice T-shirt. She's social and has a lot of friends. Every time she runs into people she could talk for hours, while I prefer to keep to myself and struggle talking to people I don't know very well. But I think it's through our differences that she's taught me so much.

One of the most important things I've learned from my mom is that none of us ever stop learning. Even to this day my mom still shares new things that she learns and loves to hear new things that I've learned, whether they be in class, daily life, or on the internet, positive or negative. She's always loved listening to new knowledge, even if it's about what my favorite celebrity recently did or a few random facts I learned in astronomy class, she's all ears. She's definitely always pushed how important learning was, but made it very clear that formal education in a classroom was not the only kind of learning nor should it be the only teaching we're exposed to, but still explained it was very important. She was never one to tell me that I can't go somewhere until I finished my homework because she knew that the life experience I'd gain and the memories I'd create were just as important as algebra.

She also taught me responsibility. She always kind of left me to figure things out for myself, never looked over my shoulder, and walked me through my homework to make sure I had it all correct or reminded me I needed to do homework. It was all up to me to get things done and do them well, and if not, I faced the consequences and didn't really have her as someone to bail me out (unless it was something extremely important or possibly detrimental, which homework, as she also taught me, was just not top priority as it always seemed). Of course homework was very important, of course she told me I needed to do it and strive for good grades, and of course I always did it, but there are so many more things to learn I would have missed out on had I focused only on one type of learning.

My mom taught me that boys are not indicative of your worth. Just because the boy you like doesn't like you back doesn't mean you're not good enough. It doesn't really mean anything actually. It just means that if there's a perfect person out there for you, he isn't it. She taught me not to worry about dating or love, just focus on myself and being able to support myself, and if I happen to find someone along the way, that's great.

My mom has taught me how to be strong. When the world is against me and it seems like nothing is going in my favor, she's there to remind me it'll pass and things are never as bad as they seem. She reminds me to make the most of life as I live it and never waste a second on things that make me unhappy and aren't important.