My name is Emily Fuqua and I grew up with Rad in Atlanta. Our parents were pretty good friends and we went to the same school together from kindergarten through 12th grade. This week, I was thinking back on memories of Rad and it hit me that he is part of the reason why I am a teacher now.
In 9th grade geometry, our teacher gave out assigned seats and I sat next to Rad each day for an entire year. Rad was not the best at math and our teacher encouraged me to help Rad when he had questions. Rad was such a nice guy and always made me feel appreciated. We worked together daily on in-class questions and homework problems, and at the end of the year, the teacher gave me the "Future Math Teacher" award because of how I helped Rad. Receiving that award was one of the first times I seriously thought about being a teacher when I grew up.
Fast forward 14 years later, and I now teach high school geometry. I know that working with Rad during my freshman year is one of the main reasons I left my corporate job last year to pursue teaching. I am so grateful for that year that we sat next to each other. I am very thankful for the way he helped shape my life, even if in a seemingly small way.