Jessica Langer has been an educator for a decade, most recently teaching a course in marketing and creative industries at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.
She’s just been offered a new job, so this will be her first and final semester at the university, but she said it’s been one of her most “memorable, and inspiring, group of students so far.”
Jessica always writes her students a thank you email after classes end, but she wanted to go further this time.
“These students are brilliant and they’re also so anxious,” she explained. So she wrote them this email.
She wanted to remind them that no matter how scary the future seems, she’s supporting them, and everything will work out.
“Statistically, at least some of my students are likely to be in home situations where they don’t have an advocate,” she said, “I feel very strongly that my job as a professor is to be a person in my students’ lives who they can trust and who has their best interest in mind.”
One student, who wished to remain anonymous, was moved to tears by the email, saying, “I’ve been feeling really stressed out.”
“It made me want to keep her contact info for the future, in case I needed someone to talk to,” said the student.
In fact, people around the world were touched by Jessica’s heartfelt message.
Jessica said she ultimately hopes the email will remind people that “no one is born knowing how to be”.
“We all have setbacks, even the people who seem to have it all together,” she added.
“But your value doesn’t depend on how lucky you are, or how successful you are, or how famous, or skilful, or rich… You matter.”