Paying It Forward

I recently returned from my 20 year high school reunion, a weekend that included a tour of my renovated high school.  I noticed that the guide assigned to my group shared the last name of one of my favorite teachers.  Imagine my surprise when I learned he was that teacher's grandson!

Have you ever stopped to think about the people in your life who played a significant role in shaping who you are today?  That teacher --Barbara Cansler--was one of those people for me.

Family members were the first and most important shapers of who I would become.  For their love, encouragement, and sacrifices on my behalf, I will always be grateful.   However, not everyone has such support from family, and I've always been inspired by those people who were not related to me but chose to invest in my future in extraordinary ways, shaping the person I would become.

Amazing, isn't it, that each of us has the opportunity to shape another person's life?  How incredibly powerful!  It is one of the reasons I created Spark.    I want to ignite that special something in each kid, as these people did for me:

Cynthia Lawless
Mrs. Lawless was my 5th grade teacher.   She was one of the first people to push me outside of my comfort zone.  She helped me develop the tenacity I'd like to think I'm known for.  And boy was she fun!   I adored that woman and her flawless, beautiful cursive handwriting.

Barbara Cansler
Ms. Cansler was my 6th and 7th grade English teacher.   A published author herself, she fueled my passion to write and to seek publication.  When I look back at 7th grade, I barely remember anything else but writing, more writing, reading, and 4-H.   I'm not sure I ate.

Eva Victoria Price
Ms. Price was my county 4-H agent for many years.  I learned many things from her, but one of the most important was that sometimes you don't get what you want in the way you wanted it . . . but if you are creative and flexible, you can achieve the same end result through a more challenging and enriching path. 

Dr. Anne Armstrong
I spent two years in creative writing classes with Dr. Armstrong.  At a time when so many were pushing me to focus on "more serious matters," my classes with her nurtured my creative side and helped me maintain my sense of self.  Plus, she is just so darn pleasant.

Dr. Larry Brown
Dr. Brown took me under his wing and mentored me when I needed direction concerning career and college choices.   I would not have learned about Emory & Henry College had he and I not extensively researched and discussed all that we did.  E&H was a fantastic choice for me, and he knew it would be--because he had taken the time to get to know me.

Dr. Samir Saliba
Dr. Saliba was my pre-law advisor.  Dr. Saliba got my foot in the door of a federal judge's chambers as an intern.  Obviously, it stuck, because I have spent my entire legal career with the federal courts. (And thank you to the Honorable Glen M. Williams, Senior U.S. Judge for the Western District of Virginia, for indulging and entrusting a very young Jennifer with legal work.)

Dr. John Lang
Dr. Lang was my major advisor.  What matters most to me about Dr. Lang is that he gave me a break once when I really needed it.  I am proud to say that I mirrored his kindness years later, when a student of mine in a writing course presented with a similar situation.  All college lessons are not academic.

Dr. Robert Reid
He was my Shakespeare professor.   Oh, I had read Shakespeare before 1994, but I did not fall in love with Shakespeare until his course. 

Just reflecting on my many memories of these people makes me explode with gratitude.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to each of them.  And thank you for the opportunity to work with your children, for giving me an opportunity to pay forward all of the kindness shown to me.