Abby was a tiny little girl when she was born prematurely along with a twin brother. She was so small that I was afraid to hold her but she demonstrated her mettle from the beginning of her life. When it came time for her to crawl she was unable to do so. A physical therapist worked with her and commented that she had never before seen a baby work so hard to gain her ability to move around. Soon Abby was crawling away just like her brother but then her doctor determined that she also needed glasses. There she was only a few month old wearing spectacles and looking rather adorable in them. Once again she was willing to do exercises to help improve her vision and by the time she was in school she no longer needed them.
Abby was an outstanding student who took her lessons quite seriously. At the same time she tackled water to swim like a fish and joined a swim team. She was still so small for her age that her coach often paired her with younger children but even that did not set her back. Eventually she decided to try other things, like acting at which she was a natural. She got work on two television programs and even served as a voice for the San Antonio Spurs in an ad. She was busy finding her way in the world and soon turned to raising animals and riding horses. Through the FFA program at her high school she won trophies in public speaking and raised three goats. She worked for veterinarians in the summer and became certified to be an assistant, finally realizing that her future lay in becoming a lawyer.
She ended up being fifth in her high school class and applied to Cornell University and Bowdoin College. She was accepted by both but felt that Bowdoin College was the place she needed to be. With multiple scholarships and grants the price of her education fell below the cost of a state school and so she spent four years charming the professors at Bowdoin the way she had impressed adults for her entire life.
Abby graduated from Bowdoin College this month with many honors. She was among a select group of students inducted into the coveted Phi Beta Kappa honors society. She graduated with A’s in every course and the designation of Magna Cum Laude. She was one of a handful of Government and Legal Studies students who completed an Honors project that required her to research a certain area and present her findings in a one hundred page document. Finally she was acknowledged as the top student in the Government and Legal studies program for her work in American politics. Her professors raved about her intellect and dedication to her studies. All of them saw her as one of the most outstanding students that they have ever taught.
Each summer Abby also worked at internships with a defense lawyer, the District Attorney’s office in Seattle and at the Brennan Center for Justice where she wrote a paper on voter repression that was published in their newsletter. Now she has begun a job in New York City with a law firm where she will work for the next two years before applying to law school.
I am not at all surprised that my granddaughter Abigail Martin has done so well. I have watched her overcome one challenge after another with dogged determination. I have witnessed her putting in the hard work of being the best version of herself. She is a mighty woman with the kindest heart I have ever witnessed. Her real goal is to help those who find injustice rather than the encouragement that she has always had. She will be an advocate for the underserved.
As a grandmother I cannot praise her enough. She carries the determination of her great grandmothers who were not taken as seriously as they should have been in another era when women were mostly valued for their mothering and housekeeping. She will fulfill the dreams of her grandmother whose own life was sidelined by a life filled with tragedies that set her on a different pathway. She is the pride of her mother and father who gave her the freedom and opportunities to be herself. We all know that she has only just begun and that the best is still to come.
Abby is my hero. She is a brave wonder woman who on her own found a job in NYC and then locked in an apartment with two others. She drove from her graduation to her new home with a car loaded with her belongings and didn’t bat an eye at the prospect of navigating the traffic in the big city. Her courage is inspiring and her unwillingness to be held back is wonderful to see. I wish her well in the journey that lies ahead and have confidence that the little baby who refused to be immobile will conquer whatever comes her way.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 