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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at ASU chapter.

When I got the topic of horror stories from school, a million stories flooded my mind. However, one story kept popping up, yet it is the exact opposite of a horror story. It’s the story of how my teacher gave me the confidence that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to.

In the sixth grade, I had this teacher, who we’ll call Mr. H, who everyone was terrified of and always got warned about when we were younger. I dreaded going to his class that summer leading up to the school year because of all the things that got fed to me by the older kids for five years. That first day, I remember that I was so nervous sitting at my desk just waiting for everything to come true, and the exact opposite happened. He was the warmest and most welcoming teacher I’ve ever had. From that day forward, he became my favorite teacher. 

Now the real story takes place during a parent-teacher conference. During this conference, Mr. H told my mom, “Your daughter has a serious shot of being a Harvard graduate, I can see her doing amazing things in her life.” Ever since then I have made it my mission to achieve those expectations he made for me. While I’m not at Harvard and I have changed my mind about what I wanted to do in the future multiple times, the one thing that remains a constant is to make him proud of what I do. That small interaction from when I was 11 seriously changed the trajectory of my life. I carry it with me because it reminds me that I can do this. That moment in elementary translated to my life in high school and life after high school (which hasn’t been that long). I put myself out there more and really stepped outside of my shell. Because of that, I joined my high school’s Associated Student Body. Joining ASB made me really like PR and running social media. That decision ultimately led me to apply to Cronkite at ASU, which is where I’m at today. 

I think that it’s kind of crazy how the short sentence said by Mr. H really changed everything in what I wanted to do and be, and just changed me in general, and he doesn’t even know it. I would like to think that I am making him proud, but I also know that I have so much more ahead that I can do before I am ever truly satisfied with that statement. However, I do know that 11-year-old me would be astonished by where I am today, and I think that if I have made anyone proud in my life, it is for sure her.    

Ariauni is a student journalist from California, now living in Phoenix, Arizona. She majors in journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in PR at Arizona State University. She enjoys all things music, entertainment, and pop culture.