She deserves this joy!
A California mom of four celebrated passing the bar after studying for 10 years in a new inspirational viral video.
Evelyn Uba has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. She came to the United States in 1983 from Nigeria at just 18-years-old, beginning her college journey before being met with several obstacles. After her father suffered a stroke, she faced financial difficulties and later paused her education to get married and start a family, Good Morning America reports.
In 2005, she returned to her studies at California Southern Law School, graduating in 2011. Since then, she has been on a mission to pass the bar exam and fulfill a promise she made to her father before he passed away. She took the exam at least 10 times over the last decade. This past January, she finally got the results she’s been looking for, passing the California state bar exam and celebrating among her family in an inspirational moment that was caught on video.
Photo Courtesy of Naeche Vincent/Good Morning America
“I never stopped wanting to go to law school. After my last child turned 2, I went to a school that I could afford that was conducive to being a mom, going to work, and making payments. I took the exam more than ten times. I stopped counting after a while but giving up certainly wasn’t in my dictionary,” Uba told reporters.
The mom of four works as a welfare professional, studying for the exam during every free moment while being a wife and caring for her children. She has sacrificed countless moments with her family to make her dream come true. It was those sacrifices that Uba said kept her motivated.
Photo Courtesy of Naeche Vincent/Good Morning America
“My daughter, Naeche, once said to me, ‘Mom, if you give up now, you can’t get your time back. Then what would you have gained out of all the missed time you could’ve spent with us?’ So that always stuck in my head, and I knew the only time I’d give up is when I’m dead,” Uba said.
She took the test in October, receiving her results on January 8th. She opened them as she had done many times before, shocked to finally see the results she had been waiting so long to receive. She jumped up and down, dancing around as her family cheered her on in person and via Facetime. She also began kissing a photo of her late father, whom she had promised to make proud. The video has now been viewed more than 400,000 times via Twitter.
THAT’S ESQUIRE NOW! pic.twitter.com/GHj8SiqkOP
advertisement— naeche (@srrytothisman) January 9, 2021
“I felt a huge weight lifted off all of our shoulders. It was so surreal, and I finally feel like my mom can live out her dream and do whatever she wants with this license,” Uba’s daughter Naeche Vincent said.
Uba plans to begin working as a criminal defense attorney, supporting low-income residents of under-resourced and marginalized communities. She hopes her story will inspire others to be persistent in the pursuit of their dreams.
“Eventually, it’s going to happen when God says it’ll happen. It might not be easy, but you just have to keep going and never feel sorry for yourself,” Uba said.
Congratulations, Evelyn!
Photo Courtesy of Naeche Vincent/Good Morning America