Dear students:

It has been a day since Ms Corona gave me a call to inform me that you Chavez 8th Graders had the idea of inviting me to your graduation as a guest. I had the honor to be invited because you believe that I’ve been a person that has inspired you in the past. When Ms Corona said this to me, I was in the middle of a clinic shift, I immediately felt a joy on my heart and had a nervous laugh full of happiness of hearing from Chavez students again, and my immediate response was to say “Oh my, I can’t believe it, me? I am so honored”. While I was trying to hold my phone with my head while my hands were busy trying to reach the calendar and write down the date and hour, I realized it was on Thursday morning and I was scheduled to work a busy shift in the clinic. Ms Corona kept on talking and I kept on trying to find a spot, a mistake in the calendar, anything that could lead me to have some free time to see you Chavez students again. It seemed more and more impossible the more I dug on my schedule. I had no space and I felt heartbroken. I couldn’t leave my clients, they needed access to their healthcare, and I was providing for them. I wouldn’t be able to see my dearest students again.

I went straight home and told my partner the news with sadness. I told him how you all Chavez students and I have a long history since I started working at this school late autumn of 2013. I just migrated from Puerto Rico, from the mountains of San Lorenzo specifically, and this was my first school teaching Sex Ed and my first winter, which of course happened to be the Vortex. Super. You were my first students ever, and I suddenly remembered how I would text Mr T every time snow would fall, because I wasn’t sure classes were cancelled or not. “Jacoba, it’s just some snowflakes” , he’d text back. “Ohhh I see!”, oops!

When I repeated Ms Corona’s words to my partner, how I met you all around 4th-5th grade, and still you remembered me and believed I had inspired you in a way, I also felt the need to say: “Me inspired them? They were the reason why I made it through some of the hardest years of Chicago! They have inspired me and changed my life forever”.

Then it hit me, I need to verbalize it, I need to tell you all my students how inspiring you all have been for me, and I’m pretty sure, for many more. Because sometimes life is like that, you keep on trying to find where inspiration came from all of a sudden, and you barely realize, it has been there inside of you the whole time.

When I went to Chavez to talk about Sex Ed and all those uncomfortable topics most of you didn’t want to listen to, you taught me to stop and listen carefully to what was important for you first. “Who cares about self esteem Jacoba, ....but don’t forget to mention when does the mustache grow. A mustache is a mustache!” But when the mustachio grew and it wasn’t all you were expecting, I was there to remind you that you were beautiful no matter what. **wink**

When I started teaching classes and some of you couldn’t understand my English, or my BoLicua accent, some of you did what you understood was easier, you made fun of me. But when you did and I looked into your eyes and told you how much that hurt me, you apologized immediately and reminded me of your immigrant abuelxs and parents who also migrated to this country and had beautiful accents like mine. And I truly felt special!

When we’d talk about babies for hours because you’d knew how much I’d love to talk about it, and then you’d say “but you are 40 and a midwife, and you have no babies?”, then I will trust you and will open my heart and explain to you. Then you’d look at me with such love and compassion and tell me, “We can all be your kids Jacoba!”. And I felt so understood and part of a family immediately.

When Trump won the elections and I came to teach the next morning, you all came straight to me and you talked to me about your fears, and your families, and how big uncertainty felt. We sat in a circle and that day we just listened to each other. You taught me there is no class more important than the one that connects us humans one to each other. Then hurricane Maria came and all of you would stop me in the hall “How’s your family Jacoba?”, and oh God, you taught me family and home are words that stretch. I knew you’d get it. Solidarity was the best of our lessons ever.

So soon you graduate of 8th grade, and before this moment you humbly spent some time thinking of a list of people who might have inspired you through school. And even when you thought of me, I just wanted to tell you all, that there is nothing more inspiring in this world for me, than all the love, all the empathy, and compassion, laughter, solidarity and the hermandad that you all gave this stranger from the mountains of Puerto Rico that arrived all alone to this country in 2013, with a bag full of fears and a translator.

All that warm welcoming from Chavez students, is what really helped me to go through the pain and challenge of migrating far from home and family. If I made it and inspired you, it was definitely because I was being a reflection of all the good stuff you were putting into my heart every single day. I’d be forever thankful to all of you for that.

So when you graduate and go out there, never forget, YOU are the ones inspiring people and changing people's lives out there by just being yourselves. And that is a great responsibility, and I’m certain you’d handle it with much care. Be to others, the inspiration you feel in your hearts, because you never know when people might need it.

It helped ME enormously.

Keep up the great work, I love you all and I couldn't be prouder. Happy graduation day ! <3

Your Maestra 4Life, Jacoba

*Students graduate from 8th grade at Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in Back of the Yards, South Chicago. We met when they were in 4th :)