"With love, from Huguercy, to Ms. Mejia." by Huguercy

"With love, from Huguercy, to Ms. Mejia." by Huguercy - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

I still remember the first day I walked into Ms Mejia's classroom. I was a nervous freshman starting my first day of high school. She was standing by the door, so young and small that I mistook her for a student. It wasn't until everyone settled into their seats and she closed her door to introduce herself as our history teacher that it clicked in my head that she was her teacher. I still remember what she looked like the first day. She had a slick back bun, wearing an all-black pantsuit and heels clicking at her feet as she stood tall, vocalizing her powerful voice throughout the room. Little did I know that the same small woman wouldn't only be my teacher but significantly impact my life.

Ms. Mejia quickly became my "Miss Honey," and I, in many ways, became her "Matilda." Her classroom became a sacred place of comfort to open to her during lunch. Rather than seeing me as an overreacting child, She did what nobody else did. She listened. She didn't interrupt. She listened. She didn't even look at the time to shoot me away to leave for lunch. She listened and allowed the time that passed between us to be meaningful. The comfort she gave was more than food. It felt warm and so quiet and still. The comfort I had been looking for all my life in 14 years from my parents, Ms. Mejia, delivered it to me in just a 30-minute lunch break. The world was finally peaceful and quiet for the first time.

But Ms. Mejia's impact extended beyond just offering a safe space to talk. She used her sweet words to melodiously carol to me spiritually. I was always told to follow God without context, but during lunch, Ms Mejia spoke about the bible. She elaborated on proverbs and psalms while interconnecting them with beautiful scenarios of black history. She painted the bible and its words as such a scenery of work. She emphasized the individuality of each biblical figure, highlighting God with grace and even going as far as turning the bible into lectures on her board and breaking words from their suffixes and tenses. She boldly planted the seed of God inside of me, watched them grow, and spoke life into me. She showed that someone truly cared about my faith and validated my confusion even when it challenged her belief.

At first, I thought of myself as Matilda, shy and uncertain. But Ms. Mejia helped me realize that I wasn't just Matilda in need of a "Miss Honey." She helped me see that I already had a "Miss Honey" within me—to face adversity ahead. Ms. Mejia wasn't only my teacher; she is the heart of who I am today, and for that, I will always carry her influence within me, a gift I will cherish forever.