How CPO led me to Law School By Isaac Jacobson, CPO Adoptee
I took the crumpled note shoved in my pocket with my sweaty palm and squished it into the crevices of the dusty stones that formed the Western Wall—the last wall still erect from the Holy Temple built in the Biblical period—located in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. I was seventeen years old and a senior in high school on our graduation trip to the Holy Land where I stood before this site. Written on this paper I held was a prayer and a desperate wish that I would meet my biological mother for the very first time.
My birth mother is a Middle Eastern Muslim woman who gave birth to me outside of wedlock putting her in danger of an honor killing. Because of the life-and-death circumstances, my birth mother kept me a secret from the man in charge of restoring the family honor: her father. She fled from the Middle East to Oklahoma where I was born. She had a C-section to reduce signs of childbirth, placed me in the arms of my adoptive parents, and returned to her homeland. To this day, twenty-one years later, I have never met her. My senior trip to Israel brought to the surface all of the emotions I have felt and experienced my entire life regarding my adoption. I have come to realize that the injustice that women in the Middle East face every waking moment was the primary reason I was separated from my birth family. I went to Israel seeking my birth mother or anyone I was related to. I was motivated with a desire stronger than anything I have ever wanted and with a burden that formed a hole in my heart for my biological family. I did not find her, nor did I find anyone related to me. However, what I did discover was ultimately greater. I discovered a fiery spirit to expose and mend the bleeding injustices not only in the Middle East but in the United States as well.
I returned from Israel with this passion and channeled it into my collegiate studies of International Relations at Oral Roberts University. The calling to pursue a future in the legal field has become even more imminent
throughout the completion of my college tenure. While there are many fields suitable for mending injustices and progressing society, my passion calls for a profession far more than just “suitable”. I am more confident than ever that my desire for justice is now steering me to my next goal: law school. This is undeniably the route I must pursue in order to maximize my impact for underrepresented voices, like the voice of the Muslim woman who fled. I am certain that my ambition will direct me to a lifetime of goals to achieve and communities to assist. As I seek to begin this new endeavor, I envision the dusty stones that form the Western Wall. Like those steadfast stones of ancient commitment to a higher calling, I am determined to stand to this call.
(excerpts from Isaac’s application to law school. He will start at The Oklahoma City University School of Law in August, 2021. CPO is still saving lives!)