Making A Difference

MAKING A DIFFERENCE has been my philosophy of life for all my adult years. Whether it is making a difference in someone's life or career, just one person at a time or with a whole group of people. In my own mind I have felt that I have been accomplishing that mission.  However, when I received this letter from one of my students, at the end of this past semester, it blew my mind. This is how it works, one person at a time.

I challenge everyone to do something to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in someone's life, just one person at a time.

Helloooo Howard,

First and foremost, I want to thank you for an amazing semester. You are a powerful man who represents Virginia Tech for its truest form of wisdom. I have always believed that education is not knowledge. Education is simply knowing facts, reading books, and envisioning. However, you taught me more than what any book can ever teach me. You have raised my knowledge. You taught myself, and the rest of the class, something that no textbook ever has, and that is the power of influence; which is true leadership. In my eyes, you are the ideal example of a leader.

I didn’t come to your class once for an attendance point, I didn’t do the work because I had to, and I didn’t participate because I needed to. I came to your class to learn from you, I did the work because I wanted to, and participated because I was comfortable. In high school, I was never the person to really raise my hand to answer a question, or ask something. And being in large classes doesn’t give me much of an opportunity to speak up. Your class was the first small class I had ever taken, and the best I will ever take. I got to step out of my comfort zone, and listen while comprehending information to the point where I had no problem of answering a question. I may not have always been right but even when I was wrong, you didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or be put on the spot. That’s really hard to find in professors these days.

While I have learned so much in your class that I can carry out in the future, one thing stands out: the importance of listening. If I had to compare my listening skills from the beginning of the semester to now, the difference would be extraordinary and I wanted to thank you for that. I work in sales, and I cannot begin to express how important listening is when I’m talking to a client. Sometimes I ramble on and on about how great a pair of sunglasses may be, but that is meaningless if it doesn’t have what they want, like polarization for instance. I cannot wait to go back to work and apply everything I learned from you. Again, thank you for an amazing semester and your time. Have a great summer! I’ll be sure to visit you next year!

Best Regards,
Rayan