Determination

Determination(James Yates) "Mom, I want that... and that... and that," insisted a girl who looked about Judy's age. The girl kept pointing at items on the shelves, and miraculously, the items appeared in her shopping cart. Judy had been watching the mother-daughter pair for a while. She noticed that whatever the teenage girl pointed at, her mother immediately put it in their cart. Judy and the mother-daughter pair had coincidentally walked down two aisles together, and by the time they reached the end, both their carts had gone from empty to full. Judy glanced at their cart, which was brimming with chips and snacks. She looked at her own cart, also full, and proceeded to the cashier to pay for her items before heading home.


Once home, Judy's mother asked her, "How did you utilise the vouchers? You must get the cheapest items to stretch our dollar. Don't buy unnecessary things. We aren't wealthy." Judy's mother continued to nag at her while Judy put away all the essential household items she had bought with the vouchers given to them by the charity group. Every Thursday, the charity group provided them with necessities and supermarket vouchers. Judy was tasked to do the weekly shopping and had to stretch the values of the vouchers as much as possible. Judy was not a spendthrift, but her mother always nagged her not to spend too much. Instead of feeling irritated, Judy quietly resolved never to find herself in such a situation again.


The following week at school, a guest speaker talked to Judy's cohort about determination. The speaker made them think and challenged them to take control of their lives. After the speech, Judy felt very inspired. She remembered one particular line, 'Determination leads to success.' She realised she could not change her family's poor circumstances at the moment, but she could change her own future. From that day on, she was determined to excel in her studies to achieve a better life for herself and her family. This determined mindset made her put forth her best effort in her studies.

While her classmates had tutors to help them with their schoolwork, Judy had no one to rely on except her teachers. So, every day after school, Judy would consult them about her schoolwork, even for subjects she excelled in. She wanted to ensure she maintained her grades. Judy would even ask for permission to attend Mathematics remedial classes, despite excelling in the subject. All these efforts were driven by her determination to excel academically for a better future.

Unfortunately, during the week of her final examinations, Judy's mother fell ill. In addition to her usual chores of cooking and taking care of her siblings, Judy now had to care for her mother too. Judy's mother did not value education much, so she didn't understand Judy's frustration at not being able to fully focus on her studies. However, Judy remained determined to do well. With the goal of a better life in mind, Judy burned the midnight oil, juggling her responsibilities and taking care of her mother. Her hard work paid off when she did well enough to apply for her desired course at a polytechnic.

Judy continued to work hard at the polytechnic because she was determined to get into a university. When it was time to enroll in university, Judy applied for several scholarships and eventually received one. Judy was single-minded in her desire to succeed and get into her chosen course at the university—the engineering course. She recalled how she had often tirelessly approached her secondary school teachers for extra help on her journey to where she was.

One day, Judy received an unexpected phone call. It was from the principal of her secondary school. They wanted her to give a speech at the graduation ceremony for the Secondary 4 students. Judy was both excited and honored. She took a few days to write her speech and practised it repeatedly.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, Judy proudly returned to her alma mater. She began her speech to thunderous applause. The emcee introduced her as a role model everyone should emulate. Judy had achieved all she currently had largely through her determination. She began her speech, "Good afternoon, everyone. Today, I stand before you to talk about one word, 'determination.' Being determined has served me well all these years. It got me to where I am now..."