I was in a bakery up in Ōtara and this young fella I used to tutor came up to me. He had been struggling with all kinds of issues back when I was teaching him, but despite that, he did well in my class.
He shook my hand and I asked him how he was doing and he said “I’m doing a lot better now, I have a partner, a job, two kids… I’m doing a lot better now thanks to you.” I didn’t know what to say. I was like, “My goodness!” To have contributed that much. I thought “Wow, I am making a difference.”
When I bump into former students it gives me joy that they’re succeeding and carrying on to more success. It keeps me going.
If you have goals, education and hope, you can make massive changes to your life. If we all had that, our country would be in far better shape. If I keep helping people one after the other and other people do the same and we connect up–we can make a difference.
