"It was September 11, 2001. The planes had just crashed into the World Trade Center. I walked in and said, “Okay, well we’re not having class today. That would be silly. I’ll sit here with you guys. I’ll talk to you, but let me recommend a couple of things. First of all, if you want to do something practical, they’re collecting blood at the gym. And second, trust me on this one…call your parents. They want to hear from you.” Then I just sat and chatted with them. Tried to make sense of this insanity. On September 11, 2011, out of the clear blue sky, I got an email from a former student - Alex. She said, “You may or may not remember me, but on 9/11, this thing happened, and you walked into the classroom and treated us really compassionately and humanely. And you sat there and talked to us. I don’t think I ever said thank you. But I guess it’s not too late.” My mouth dropped. I tracked her down, told her of course I remembered her. And now she’s one of our adjuncts. I even had the opportunity to observe her. She’s all grown up now. That was a cool moment. As a professor, you get to be that person for people. And now it’s Alex’s turn." - "G" (Peter Gershon), Associate Professor #Hofstra #HumansOfHofstra #HUWorldChanger (at Hofstra University)