I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and she mentioned that she sometimes forgets where she came from. As she struggles through classes and with finals, she forgets how she got to this point. She becomes frustrated when she realizes she is not the best in the class, or when she comes across a concept she cannot grasp. And she wonders why. Why are other students able to comprehend this? They are no more intelligent than I. They ask probing, all- encompassing questions that connect seemingly unr elated ideas. They eagerly raise their hands when the professor poses a rhetorical question, confidence emanating from each pore. In retrospect, she admonishes herself, for she knew the answer, she made the connection; yet, at that moment, in those partic ular circumstances, the words did not form and the connection had not yet materialized.

I ask her what she means when she says she "forgets." "What is it that you forget - where you came from? Who you are? What?!" "No, no, I would never forget who I am!" she quickly returns. She continues, "I sometimes forget how I got here." She explains that it was a hard road. Many people helped and encouraged her. Yet, she points out, none of those who helped and supported her had ever been in her position. They did not reach the level of education that she has reached. She forgets that she did not lea rn to speak English until she started her formal education in the public system. As a result, she had to work extra hard to obtain the education she now enjoys. She forgets that those other students had an edge; many had doctors, lawyers, judges, professo rs, or successful business owners as parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, or close friends. They had immediate and tangible role models, teachers and mentors. They grew up with the ideas, possibilities and aspirations of doctors, lawyers, judges and pro fessors. They were immersed in the vocabulary, speech patterns and idiosyncrasies of those individuals.

She forgets that she did not grow up in that environment. She did not have those intangible helpings of encouragement, the subconscious teachings of a learned family member or friend. As she chides her self-imposed inadequacies, she forgets that she did n ot grow up in a home where doctors spoke, or lawyers asked questions, or professors taught her how to read. More importantly, she forgets, as she struggles to compete, that she started from behind the line. She forgets that by the time she heard the start ing gun, the others were already running the race.

Let us keep this in perspective. She is not complaining. She is competing; she can answer the rhetorical questions, and she makes the connections. She can go the distance with the best of them. Otherwise, she could not be here. Period. And that is true f or every student. But sometimes, she forgets, at those moments of self-reproach, that how she got here was different, and that difference is what can sometimes make all the difference in the world. She sometimes gets caught in the competition and forgets all the hard work she put in to get here. She forgets she has already reached a milestone by competing at this level, and is more than capable of taking it on to the next level. She has what it takes - she just forgets.

It is time for finals. We are all absorbed in making the grade, and in our quest for honors, we fail to realize all the suffering and sacrifice, willfully relinquished for our betterment. We came a long way, and we made it to the finals. This last obstacl e is just one of many we have already vanquished. Remember, we all worked hard to get here; some worked through adversities, others had the road paved, while still others had a driver who kept the limo well stocked with Grey Poupon. If you got what is tak es, you are supposed to be here - never forget that. Good luck with finals!!!

David H. Benton is a second year law student and President of the Black Law Students Association.