Perception.

Dear Professor Campbell,

I hope you're doing well! As I'm getting older and getting closer to 30, I'm writing a few letters to people who have made an impact on my life!

The first class I had with you was my Comms 211 class. It was one of the pre-requisites to take to get into the comms program, and that class was big, so you wouldn't have known me from Jack. It was an interesting lass to sit in, learning about PR and advertising and journalism. Little did I know I would TA for (and teach) that class under Prof. Carter a couple years later.

I distinctly remember the day a year or so later when I was in the newsroom, and you called me over to your cubicle at the front of the room. You had already helped me secure an internship with Answers.com in NYC that summer, which I thought was pretty darn cool.

You asked as I walked in, "You're from Singapore, right?"

When I responded in the affirmative, you said that there was an internship opening at Bloomberg News in Singapore for the summer, and whether I'd be interested in the role.

A couple of interviews later, I had the internship!

Prof. Campbell - every professional success I've had since then can be tied back to that internship during the summer of 2012. I learned a lot there, about writing and financial journalism. And, as an added bonus, I got to spend some time at home.

After the internship that summer, I interned at Goldman. To be honest, I don't think they would have even looked at my application (I had cold-applied) if they hadn't seen that brand name, Bloomberg, on my resume.

If you didn't already know, I moved back to Singapore last year to work for Uber. If I didn't have Goldman on my resume... i think you get the point. Also, it just so happens that the person who helped me with my application at Uber was a fellow another guy who had interned with me at Bloomberg that same year, who is also now at Uber. Small world huh?

It's all about connecting the dots backwards.

Your zest and willingness to help students succeed, without a thought of repayment or praise is admirable, and it's what makes you a wonderful person. Thank you for your lessons in the classroom and your help in my internships and career. Most importantly, thank you for being am example of selfless service and a teacher of life's good values, of helping people all along the path of life.

Many Thanks,
Ee Chien