Black Mom of 4 Finally Passed the Bar Exam After Studying For 9 Years

Nationwide — Meet Evelyn Uba, a woman from California who moved from Nigeria in 1983 who has achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer. After nearly a decade of hard work, Uba went viral in 2021 when her daughter shared a video of her celebrating after passing the California bar exam.

Uba’s journey to becoming an attorney was anything but easy. She first set foot in the U.S. when she was 18 years old, aiming to attend law school. However, financial troubles arose when her father had a stroke. Uba paused her studies to start a family but resumed her law education in 2005 at California Southern Law School.

“I never stopped wanting to go to law school,” she told Good Morning America. “After my last child turned 2, I went to a school that I could afford that was conducive to being a mom, going to work, and making payments.”

Graduating in 2011, Uba focused on passing the bar exam to fulfill a promise she made to her late father. She took the exam over ten times, each time coming closer but still falling short.

“I took the exam more than ten times,” she said. “I stopped counting after a while but giving up certainly wasn’t in my dictionary.”

Her dedication meant long nights studying after work, often missing out on family events. Despite these sacrifices, her family’s support kept her going. Her daughter Naeche’s words were a powerful motivator.

“My daughter, Naeche, once said to me, ‘Mom, if you give up now, you can’t get your time back. Then what would you have gained out of all the missed time you could’ve spent with us?’ So that always stuck in my head and I knew the only time I’d give up is when I’m dead,” Uba said.

On January 8, 2021, Uba finally got the news she had been waiting for. She had passed the bar exam. The moment she received her results, she jumped with joy, a reaction captured in a now-viral video with nearly 400,000 views on Twitter. The celebration included a touching tribute to her late father and a FaceTime celebration with her daughter in New York City.

With her new license, Uba plans to work in criminal defense, focusing on helping low-income individuals in marginalized communities. Her story is a testament to perseverance and the power of never giving up. Uba hopes to inspire others to keep pushing through challenges.

“Eventually it’s going to happen when God says it’ll happen,” she said. “It might not be easy but you just have to keep going and never feel sorry for yourself.”