I’d like to start by saying thank you. Having you as a professor the past few years has given me so much more than I could ever explain. As a freshman, I was scared and uncertain of my future, but after taking my first journalism class at IUP I was hopeful. Although I knew close to nothing about the world of journalism, you made the class a safe place to learn and never made any of us feel discouraged.
Class after class that I took with you as my professor, I became more confident in my writing abilities. I took the time to go over my work and truly cared about the grades I received. After failing one of your classes my sophomore year, I felt defeated and lost, but after retaking that same class the following year I have never felt more sure of myself and my writing.
Having a professor that truly cares about the success of their students truly makes all the difference. I’ve had professors that couldn’t care less about their students and their futures. Believe me, we can tell. And I think that’s why I am writing this letter. To let you know that when I get my first job after graduating college, you will be the professor that made all the difference to me. You are the professor that gave me hope for my future and made me feel that you truly cared about where I ended up.
The encouragement that you have consistently spread to your students in every class I’ve been lucky enough to be in is what will stay with me throughout my career. The way you speak so highly of your past students and even go to the lengths of putting them in the stories we work on in class is inspiring. And I can’t even begin to explain how much it meant to me when you kept me after class to tell me how proud you were of my progress.
Having someone to look up to has given me the encouragement to finish my degree and believe in my future. The world needs more professors like you and I feel so lucky to have been your student. Thank you for all that you have done for me and every one of your students. I can guarantee you that they all feel the way I do and are beyond grateful for your guidance and knowledge.
Thank you for being the professor that made all the difference.