On November 24th, 1997, Maurice Lawrence Ware was born in Euclid, Ohio to two loving parents, Patricia and Larry Ware. Being the only child of a newly wed interracial couple of 39 and 44, he was showered with all the love and support he could ask for. He was also tasked with paving his own path in life.
Maurice learned about compassion through his hardworking mother. Maurice’s mother was a physical therapist who did pediatric work out of her home, having turned the dining room into a therapy room. Maurice spent much of his younger years observing the work his mother did with kids with disabilities and visiting his grandmother and helping take care of her every weekend. The effects of growing up with such a model would eventually manifest themselves in his high school years.
Maurice attended St. William’s grade school where he excelled in academics and struggled with sports, having started a little late. After grade school Maurice applied to St. Ignatius High school, a Jesuit college prep school. At Ignatius Maurice found a drive that he lacked in his younger life. Surrounded by high achievers he found the drive to prove he deserved to be there too. Outside of pushing himself academically by pursuing AP and honors courses he also joined the men’s chorus, rekindling a forgotten love of music. The competitive environment at Ignatius also brought back a forgotten love for learning and ultimately lead to his being named a National Merit Finalist. However, the most important thing Ignatius retrieved from Maurice’s past was the compassion he found by watching his mother. At Ignatius Maurice found programs such as Friends with L’Arche, a group that visits the homes of people with developmental disabilities, or Labre, a homeless ministry which goes out to the streets of Cleveland with food and other needs. His involvement with these programs rekindled his love for people and helped him realize what he wanted in life.
Maurice went on to enroll at Yale University. He is currently a rising senior studying psychology. In his time at Yale he has been heavily involved in the Yale Black Men’s Union and Yale Community Kitchen, a student run soup kitchen which serves the New Haven population. Over his summers he has studied Spanish in Spain, worked with a non-profit called Georgia Works! which helps formerly homeless or incarcerated men to achieve self sustainability in Atlanta, and is now interning at Latham & Watkins Orange County office in the recruiting department. After college he is hoping to either pursue a masters degree in Psychology with the intention to become a therapist, or to work for a couple years and gain experience before looking to either law or business school.
