Heather, Marta, and the feeling of knowing a bit of me will live on...

27 years ago, during my 4th year of teaching at the UA, I walked into my classroom not knowing that I was going to meet a student who would fundamentally change my perspective of teaching. Prior, I had envisioned the 16 weeks of the semester as the boundaries of teaching. Meeting Heather changed that, forming a relationship with me during the semester that extended - and grew - across the next quarter of a century. Today, during the first day of each semester, I tell my students "you may think that our class lasts 16 weeks; but you will soon realize that our time together will transcend these 16 weeks and these four walls". And those opening words of the semester can all be traced back to Heather Nelson.

I like to say that Heather was my student-then friend-then dear friend. She is one of my biggest advocates and staunchest encouragers. We talk about everything: career changes she considers, career changes I consider, life, friendship, our faith. We serve nonprofits together and we work hard to live out the promise of mentoring. She may not realize it, or accept it, but her heart has indirectly touched every student I have had since. Think of that. I am now in my 31st year of teaching. 54 semesters have passed since I first met Heather and her influence is felt every day by the students taking #rapertmktg.

Why talk about this now? Well, two weeks ago I walked into my classroom to see the Dean, Carolyn Eiler, and my son Jonah...none of whom should be in my class at 8am. Totally to my surprise, THIS happened next:

I am speechless by the enormity of what Heather has done: personally endowing a scholarship that will live for perpetuity, annually spinning off a scholarship to help a student experience the blessing of studying abroad. As you will be able to tell in this next clip, I struggle (and fail) to find the right words :)

So today, I want to extend my thank you, as inadequate as it is. If you have stuck with my story this long, here's one more that captures how I feel. One of the people I admire most in life is Marta Gabre-Tsadick, author of Sheltered by the King and founder of Project Mercy in Yetebon, Ethiopia. Marta's resilience and steadfast intentionality in serving her beloved country is unparalleled. The sustainable farm-orphanage-school-midwife training center (just a partial list) that she has created is best-in-class, impacting thousands and thousands of Ethiopians. Dr. Raj Shah, then head of USAID, asked Marta to write a detailed description of Project Mercy and they have published a synopsis on their website: https://www.usaid.gov/documents/1860/usaid-project-mercy-partnership-fact-sheet. I asked Marta about the experience of capturing her life's work on paper and she told me she feels "peaceful. contented. at ease". When I pressed for more details, Marta gently took my hands in her own, looked me in the eyes and said "Molly, I have always feared that when I die, my life's work will dwindle away. But I now have the blessing of knowing that it resides, not just in the hearts of all that have been involved, but it resides on paper. Others may read it and be encouraged to try their own version in their own villages. I won't be here to see the ripple effect but I am at peace knowing there will be one."

THAT is the gift you have given me, dear Heather. I love my students, I love study abroad, I love Walton. Through your individual generosity, you have given me the gift of knowing that, long after I pass from this world, Walton students will travel on this scholarship, experiencing things they never would have seen, and that a piece of me will be with them.

I am overwhelmed by you.

Molly Rapert is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. She also serves as the Director of the Walton Center for Teaching Effectiveness. Finishing her 30th year at Walton, Professor Rapert has won teaching awards at the college and university level, while also being recognized as the top marketing teacher in the nation by the Marketing Management Association.