Dear Fellow Seniors,

Teachers are in the unique position to inspire and transform us, forever altering and improving our lives. My mentor in high school was Robert Berg. In the classroom, Mr. Berg taught AP Macroeconomics. He was one of the most engaging and exciting educators I have ever had. But Mr. Berg’s impact on my life did not end when I walked out the door of his classroom. He pushed me to always strive for more than I thought was possible myself. I will be forever grateful for his mentorship.

Each and every one of you certainly had a Mr. Berg in your life. As a senior at Northwestern University, you now have the opportunity to give back to that mentor by nominating a teacher for the 2013 Distinguished Secondary School Teacher Award. Four high school teachers nominated by Northwestern seniors will be honored at Commencement next June. Each teacher and his or her school will receive an award of $2,500.

Please take just a few moments to think about the mentors that inspired you. We all owe an enormous debt to teachers who have supported our achievements. You may and should nominate a teacher at http://teachernomination.northwestern.edu/. It won’t take you more than 15 minutes, but the impact will be monumental.

Our teachers mentored us for no personal gain of their own. But now we have the opportunity to say thank you. Each and every one of us owes it to our mentors. I can’t nominate a teacher for this award because I’m on the selection committee, but if I could, I would nominate Robert Berg. Who will you nominate?

Sincerely,

Victor Shao, ASG President and Weinberg senior