My name is Jonadan (Korean translation for Jonathan friend of David) Moon, I was born in Korea, but moved to the States at the age of 2 months. I have no idea who my father is since he walked out on us right after I was born. My single Mom and I lived in a one bedroom apartment outside of downtown Spokane (not a nice neighborhood). I went to preschool and kindergarten at the YMCA.
Every night my Mom would have to go to these other tenants and tell them to keep their music down so I could go to sleep and not be tired for school (root of my sleeping problems). The 70+ year landlord could not do anything to stop the guys from blasting their music till 3 am in the morning, but we couldn't afford to go anywhere else.
My Mom worked overtime and graveyard shifts at the post office until it became too hard on her body, and was able to move to less demanding jobs of being a florist or working at the Joe's mini mart located in the downtown bus station. For a while she also had to balance going to community college to obtain an education degree, while raising me, and working full time. I think my Mom wanted to be a teacher, but it was too hard with me in the picture.
Going in to the first grade, my Mom refused to let me go to any of the elementary schools downtown and would commute me to the suburbs to attend Shiloh Hills Elementary School, where she knew I could get a decent education. She wanted to put me through private school, but obviously she did not have the money for that, so she did the next best thing and drove me an hour back and forth to school everyday. Eventually we were able to move out of our apartment downtown and were able to move in to nicer ones in a nicer neighborhood closer to my school.
I didn't realize this when I was a child, and now looking back it breaks my heart all that my Mom sacrificed and did for me. My Mom raised me, so I would not feel that void not having a father.
And now there are children all across the United States that do not have a Mom like mine who did all that she could to provide me the best possible education. I got lucky and it is not fair for those who did not get lucky and that is why I want to apply for TFA to have the chance to make a difference. I am not the smartest person or the most disciplined, but I have passion, I have the desire to make a difference with all that I got, just like my Mom was able to show to me.
This is just the surface of my Mom's character. I regret not being a better son or a better person for my Mom. I love you Mom, thank you for everything and I'll try even harder this year to make you proud, because I have always been proud of you.
