You Never Know The Difference You Are Making

in the lives of others. That lesson was clearly demonstrated to me yesterday. I’ve been teaching Security Management courses at Webster University both in the classroom and online for 15 years. While a few students have stood out over those years, most have blended in over time to names on a class roster.

A few weeks ago at the security conference I attend each year, I met a young man I thought I was meeting for the first time. But he shared with me that we had in fact met, in 2005 when he was a student in one of my Webster University classes held at Joint Base Bolling. I felt bad that I didn’t remember him, but as our conversation continued he thanked me for “changing his life” and shared that my passion for and commitment to the security management profession spurred him to “aim high” in his career as well.

In the nine years since the young man was in my class, he had indeed “aimed high” and achieved mightily!! He’s now a high ranking security person in the U.S. Capitol! Wow!! He offered to give me a “behind the scenes tour” of the Capitol and yesterday afternoon was the day we selected.

We met in the Capitol Visitors Center, which I confess I hadn’t been to previously (it opened a few years ago). The tour was simply fabulous and I was shown some amazing things!! Every person we passed, my former student introduced me as the “professor who had changed his life”. He seemed so proud to be showing me around his “fancy office building”, but not nearly as proud as I was of him!!

I thought a lot last night about the lives we all touch on a daily basis and how we may never know the impact we have on others!! I no longer feel bad about the fact that I didn’t remember my student because I did the job I committed to doing when I began teaching. I treat all my students the same and give the same level of energy and enthusiasm in every class. The fact that something I said or did during a class stuck with this student and pushed him to the level of success he’s achieved, thrills me to no end!!

How many lives will you touch today? We should all “aim high” in our interaction with others because you never know the difference you might be making in someone’s life!

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