She showed me her strength, love, and care. She gave me confidence by uncaging the butterflies in my tummy. She promised to be my harbor whenever I am lost at sea. She is the reason I have become who I am today.

I call her Ms. Huang since she was my homeroom teacher. She also taught us English and social studies. I still remember how she would conduct each lesson with professionalism and patience. She would explain a grammar rule or a history event that sparked great interest among us students with luring activities. She would also stop every now and then, whenever a hand was raised, patiently acknowledging the student’s question and coming up with a better explanation to ensure that he or she understood. Moreover, she was also the conductor of the annual Christmas musical performances. It was one of the grandest events in our school. Each year, she would personally hold auditions for students who wanted to participate in the cast. She would then sacrifice her breaks within classes to train the actors, from their tone and facial expressions to their singing voices and dancing movements.

Being one of the actors, I admired her every second. I was overwhelmed by her ability to successfully accomplish so many goals, while handling each with great care and love. No matter how tired she was, she never revealed it on her face. She knew that it would bring negative emotions of stress and anxiety to her students. Her selfless personality truly amazed me, and I vowed to myself that I would see her as my role model forever.

Because of her, not only have I developed in my skills both academically and entertainment wise, I have learned to be a better leader. I learned that a great leader must put his or her feet into the shoes of their team members. Now, when I lead our school’s newspaper club, I am determined to bring what Ms. Huang brought me to my club members. I conduct presentations with professionalism, deal with problems with patience, and communicate with my club members with empathy. Even though Ms. Huang is being brought to heaven by God, every part of her truly inspired all the people around her, including me. I will forever be grateful to be one of your students, and thank you for making me proud of who I am today.