Former president and CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos faced challenges early in life, and his mom had her share of difficulties too. Today, we want to share their story to inspire people and show that with education and determination, you can make seemingly impossible things happen.
Jeff Bezos’ journey to success is inspiring, but so is his mom’s story.
Bezos, the third-richest person globally with $167.8 billion as of November 2023, had a tough start. His mom, Jacklyn Bezos, was a teenager without much money and couldn’t even afford a telephone.
Bezos tweeted about his mom’s amazing journey, saying, “My mom’s incredible story. Wow. So grateful. So proud. #Grit.” He shared a clip of his mom’s speech at Cambridge College.
Jacklyn Bezos got pregnant when she was just 17 in high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At that time, life wasn’t easy for pregnant teenagers. School administrators even told her she wouldn’t be able to finish high school.
In her commencement speech, Jacklyn revealed, “It didn’t make any sense to me, so I pushed back, and I kept on pushing back. And eventually the school relented, they would allow me to come back to school, but there would be conditions.”
The rules were harsh and dehumanizing for Jacklyn Bezos.
She had to arrive and depart school within 5 minutes of the starting and finishing bells. She couldn’t talk to other students or eat lunch in the cafeteria, and she was told she wouldn’t be allowed to walk across the stage with her classmates to get her diploma. Despite these challenges, Jacklyn complied, persisted, and graduated.
Divorced from Bezos’ biological father, Ted Jorgensen, by the time he was just 17 months old, Jacklyn sought out work as a secretary, having taken secretarial classes in the afternoons. Even though she was a terrible typist and couldn’t read her own shorthand, somebody actually hired her, and she got a job that paid $190 per month.
Jacklyn moved into her own apartment with her son, but money was tight, leaving her unable to afford a phone. Since her parents wanted to stay in touch, her father came up with a solution — a walkie-talkie. He instructed her to check in every day at 7 a.m.
“That’s how we were able to stay in an apartment...because I didn’t have to pay for a phone,” Jacklyn explained.
Determined to pursue her education, Jacklyn enrolled in night school. She strategically selected classes based on professors who would allow her to bring her infant son to class.
