Dear Ms. Child,

When I came to your class, I was a timid kid who didn’t know what to expect from your English class. I thought it would be another class I needed to survive through to get to the next stage in my class journey. I’m so glad I was way off with my assumptions about you & your class.
You were the starting point in making me teachers in a different light.

I don’t remember the lessons I learned in your class. I remember watching you teach in a way I’ve never seen before. You taught like you were really passionate about English, which was amazing to watch. The real turning point for me was when one day, we had a really nasty thunderstorm. I tried my hardest to hide my fear of thunderstorms, but, the lightning & thunder got too strong for me to not panic anymore.

You saw my fear, my panic & anguish while you were teaching the class. You called me to sit with you on your stool. While I felt embarrassed at my fear of being seen in the classroom & being laughed at by other classmates, I also felt comfortable sitting with you while the storm was passing through Leland, North Carolina. That experience has never left my memory.

It’s 2022 and the impact you had on me is still strong. You taught me that teachers can have compassion, care & love for their students and the subject that they teach. I believe my strong love for English started with taking your class. You also showed me that teachers do want to see their students succeed in life. Thank you, Ms. Child, for being a positive example to me. I hope all is well with you & your family.
Gerald

Dear Professor Abzug,

When I walked into your Women and Leadership class at Columbia University in the fall of 2006, I expected to learn about women’s history, engage in interesting conversations, and write about famous leaders. But as it turns out, you and your class left me with so much more than I could have ever anticipated.

Before your class, my world was very small. I was a 20-year-old college student, consumed with school, my family, a new boyfriend, and the latest party. I didn’t spend much time thinking about the world beyond my bubble. It’s not that I didn’t care about the issues that plagued our society, but I didn’t see an avenue for me to make a significant difference.

While I don’t remember the books we read, the topics we discussed, or even the themes of any of the papers I wrote, I do remember how you highlighted the inequality in society. You prepared us for the discrimination we’d likely face in our respective careers. However, you never told us what to think or how to respond. Instead, you asked us questions that challenged me to see beyond my little bubble. You showed us women like your mother, former congresswoman Bella Abzug, who broke glass ceilings, stood up for themselves, and single-handedly paved the way for others. As a result, you created this desire within me to discover my power. Every time class finished, it felt as though you lit a match in my belly, as I felt this fire – an energy and excitement that came with believing I could tackle inequality and win one battle at a time. It was you who made me think my voice matters in larger conversations.

It’s been 16 years since your class, and that fire has transformed into a guiding light. It has influenced my choices and my path in life. While pursuing my childhood dream to become a sportscaster, I faced many of the struggles you told us we might experience in our careers. But instead of backing down, becoming a victim, or accepting our culture for what it is, I spoke up and forced change.

Ultimately, I followed my heart and started a company called The Unsealed, which aims to empower voices and inspire people. My goal is to challenge our readers to realize their influence as we showcase diverse perspectives. I believe my purpose in life is to try and be the match that lights the fire in other people’s bellies.

Professor Abzug, I signed up for your class to learn more about women leaders, but I had no idea you’d teach me to become one. It was in your class that I developed an unshakeable confidence, a relentless spirit, and a fearless attitude.

The change I make for others all started with the change you influenced within me.

Thank you!

I know there are times in our lives and in our world where it appears that people are out to get us, even though we think we’ve done nothing wrong. We do everything right, or so it would appear, and yet we still get reamed for it– even though we don’t even so much as deserve to be criticized for it.

I also know that there are times when we are faced with scary moments, but it’s within those scary moments that we can learn something from ourselves.

16 years ago, I was in the eighth grade, just a few short weeks away from moving onto high school. It was on that day where I felt comfortable enough to disclose that I was autistic to my classmates for the first time in my life.

Although I had the full support of my teacher that day and although the students who knew me knew I was mainstreamed, it still scared the hell out of me to tell the story.

I started to explain the fact that I had autism and some of the kids didn’t understand what the hell it was that I had been talking about. There were puzzled looks on some students’ faces, and the teacher quickly said “He has autism.”

Even though the students who I had been mainstreamed with knew I had special needs, they didn’t really know that it was autism… and it was because I kept it in for longer than I should have… but happily, each time I tell someone that I have autism, it gets progressively easier and thus, less scary to tell.

Although the fear of telling someone that I have autism doesn’t completely go away (hopefully it keeps going away with time,) that spring afternoon in 2006 served as a moment of clarity for me.

The moments where we, as people, are fearful the most, can also serve as moments where we can learn valuable lessons, and it’s those teaching moments that help us grow as people.

Thus, the big takeaway from this letter is simple:

You are stronger than you may think. All it takes is a little bit of smarts, a fair amount of guts, and a great deal of support.

If you have all three of those qualities, you’ll be going places.

What scares the hell out of us can also make for our most valuable lessons.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and inspire somebody! Good luck!

Dear Unsealers,
Recently I had surgery and it was a bit scary. It’s behind me now. I could not have gone thru this process without the support of my dear family. Thank you to my amazing children, Andrew and Lauren, for immediately stepping up and helping Dad and I make the right decision as to which way to proceed. Your research and involvement was so very crucial and so deeply touching. You both analyzed the situation, listened in on all consultations with the surgeons, asked the doctors important and very pivotal questions and helped me manage all my test results. You are my pillars of strength and my guiding light. Thank you to my husband, Alan, who always insisted on accompanying me to every test from cat scan to MRI to covid test you were right by my side and of course every consultation and then in the hospital thru surgery. You are my strength as well as being my post-op coach. You challenge me to get out of bed and walk, which the doctors have told us is important for a faster recovery. Thank you also to all my love ones who supported me and comforted Alan,Andrew and Lauren thru. this process. Thank you to my my sweet daughter -in-law, my caring sisters, my cousins, my extended family and my friends for being so supportive and concerned. You all are so important to me. It really does take a village and you are my village.
From the bottom of my heart with much love and appreciation,
Shelley