Keep Your Chin Up!

One day in 2015, I visited Professor "Chip" for the second and last time at his office at 1 pm to say thank you for the great support. I wanted to let him know that I had graduated from the master’s program with a high GPA and I landed a job in Washington, DC!

Professor Montrose, or “Chip” as he preferred to be called, is the Vice Provost and Dean of the graduate school at the University of Cincinnati (UC), where I got my master’s degree at. I’ve only met him once, but it was enough for me to remember him forever.

Chip and his team helped me to get a scholarship for my last semester at the University of Cincinnati. However, it was not the only reason to remember him. The distinctive thing about Chip is his morals and his level of care. I recall when I met Chip to speak about my scholarship, he humbly welcomed me to his office as if he were the one seeking my support. He asked me about my family, my study and my life concerns. He shared his experience, motivated me and verbally drafted an action plan for me to follow. He went above and beyond his duties and even helped me search for jobs to pay my bills. He was a teacher, a counselor, a friend, a big brother and a motivator in one person and for less than a one hour meeting.

The role of any Dean would stop at this point; however, for Chip, that wasn’t the case. Although no one would reward him for putting in extra effort, Chip was willing and excited to support me with his emails and cheer until I graduated from school and started a new life. I still remember his words when things got tough; he would say,

“Nidal! Keep your chin up, I bet this will all work out.”

These genuine caring words meant a lot to me at that time, and they were one of the most essential tools I needed in order to keep my spirits up.

The day I visited Chip at his office for the second time to say goodbye, I could not find him. I left him a message with his assistant. Half an hour later he wrote back to me saying:

Nidal,

I just heard that you are off to a great job in Washington DC. Congratulations, good luck, and keep in touch. I hope things go fantastically for you and your family. I am glad that I was able to give a little help to get you to the finish line!

Get out there and make us proud.

Chip

Thank you, Chip, for everything! Thanks for teaching me that we don’t need a reason to help people. I promise, one day I will make you proud!