How Mister Rogers Helped Me Land My New Job

In the summer of 2018, I experienced a transformative event: I had the opportunity to watch Won’t You Be My Neighbor – a documentary featuring Mister Fred Rogers – at my favorite movie theater. Mister Rogers was such an essential part of my childhood and re-visiting the songs, places, and people from his fantastical wonderland left me nostalgic and a bit tearful.

Several days after watching the documentary, I was sitting in a conference room being interviewed by my district’s board of trustees. At the end of the interview, I was quite nervous and didn’t know what to say; so, I mentioned Won’t You Be My Neighbor and how it reminded me of the importance of being kind. The next part was unexpected: I broke into a mini-song as I shook each trustee’s hand, belting out such lines as “you are valuable” and “I appreciate you.” I. Harmonized. My. Interview.

As you might imagine, I left the room thinking about job applications. Surely, I thought, the board members must think I’m crazy. Did I really start singing Mister Rogers' quotes? Luckily, the story has a happy ending. The board approved my position (or, as I like to think, welcomed me to the neighborhood), and I started working several days later.

Mister Rogers positively impacted my childhood, and I am grateful that he continues to influence my beliefs about myself and how to treat others. When I viewed Google’s Mister Rogers’ Doodle, I was reminded that I have value “just the way I am.”

I encourage everyone to take two minutes today to watch Google’s Mister Rogers’ Doodle and then take another moment to think about someone who makes you feel as important as Mister Rogers made millions of people feel every day (inspired from the documentary). Also, use Mister Rogers as inspiration to spread kindness to others. Kindness costs nothing, but its value is immeasurable.