1:49 PM. December 13, 2024.
A time, a date, a heartbeat suspended in anticipation.
The Bar exam results are out, and suddenlyâacross the country, across cities and quiet cornersâlives are changing. Joy erupts in group chats. Phone calls are filled with laughter, sobs, stunned silence. Screens glow with names that mark the beginning of long-dreamt-of careers. And for others, the journey will take a little longerâan ache I recognize as nothing short of courageous.
Because just taking the Bar exam is an act of grit.
Finishing law school is no small featâit tests you in ways that go far beyond academics. It demands parts of you you didnât know existed. And choosing to walk this path? Thatâs never just about a job. For me, itâs about purpose. Itâs about impact. Itâs about becoming someone who shows up for othersâand the worldâin a way that truly matters.
As I scroll through the waves of announcements and celebrations, I feel a quiet tug at my heart. Every name, every message, carries a story. Not just of triumph, but of everything it took to get there: the long nights, the close calls, the inner battles, the unwavering hope. And in the middle of all this joy, a truth becomes so clear to me: We donât rise alone.
Behind every person crossing this finish line is a constellation of othersâmentors, parents, friends, professors, late-night phone call buddiesâwho held them together when things were falling apart. The cheerleaders, the truth-tellers, the believers. Because letâs be honest: when weâre chasing something big, self-doubt is always lurking. Sometimes, itâs not until someone else says, âYou were made for thisâ, that we finally start to believe it ourselves.
Together, we rise higher.
Even the most determined dreamersâthose who never miss a deadline, who sacrifice weekends, who push through exhaustionâneed reminding that they are not alone. And that success? Itâs never just about effort. Itâs the culmination of collective faith. A thousand whispered, âDonât give up.â A hundred doors held open. One person saying, âI see you.â
But dreaming big always comes with a cost.
Sometimes it means leaving behind comfort, or letting go of relationships that once defined us. Sometimes it means waking up in a life that looks wonderful from the outside, yet still wondering, Is this truly what I wanted? Thatâs where I am right now. I have a good job. A fair salary. I live in a city that pulses with energy and opportunity. I travel, I connect, I build friendships. And still, at the end of the dayâwhen the noise quiets and Iâm alone in my roomâthose questions come back.Is this it?
Is this the dream I once burned for, or a version of it I settled into because it was safer?
But hereâs what Iâve learned:
When those questions appear, they arenât always a sign of failure. Sometimes, theyâre a nudgeâan invitation to return to our deeper truth. To the part of us that still believes in something more.
And today, as I watch others step into their next chapter, I remember my own dream again.
I remember why I chose this path.
And I remember that the people who believe in me havenât stopped.
So maybe itâs time I stop doubting myself, too.
Because the bigger the dream, the bolder the pathâand the deeper the potential for impact.
Not every dream is meant to serve just us. Some dreams are rooted in justice, in hope, in the belief that weâre here to leave the world a little better than we found it. Those are the dreams that demand more. But they also give more. And I want to live a life that gives something meaningful back.
So, to everyone who passed the Barâcongratulations. To those still on the journeyâyour courage is profound. And to anyone quietly wondering if your dream is still worth chasing⊠I hope you know that it is.
It always has been.
