“Because of You”, Mr. Riley

I have always lived by the belief that people come into your life at just the right time. For example, this might be a time at which you are in need of direction or clarity. For me, that time was my freshman year of high school, and that person was my marketing teacher, Mr. Jamie Riley.

Entering into high school, I was absolutely clueless as to what career I wanted to pursue. I remember seeing “Marketing 1” on my schedule and being frustrated, as I hadn’t gotten my first elective choice and, as a result, had been placed in a different course. I had always heard about DECA, but was not planning on joining until sophomore year, and even that was only a possibility. The first day entering 4th hour marketing, I met my teacher. He was very outgoing and welcoming and, as a freshman, that is exactly what I needed.

Right from the start there was one thing emphasized in that class: DECA, DECA, DECA! Hearing about the competition in which I would have to take part made me nervous, as I was unsure of my abilities and did not know if I would succeed.

When the time came to choose our event, I chose the one which appealed to me most: Human Resources Management. To my surprise, Mr. Riley informed me that this was typically a junior/senior event. Of course, this was after the deadline to change had passed, and I was now committed to that event. Complaining to Mr. Riley, I asked him why he hadn’t warned me about the difficulty of this event prior to me choosing it. He simply said, “Ava, I know you can do this. Be confident in yourself and go show them what you’re made of”.

Fast forward to the district conference, and I ended up qualifying for the state conference. In class the next week, Mr. Riley did not hesitate to tell me “ I told you so”.

Next came the daunting journey of preparing for the state conference to compete against some of the best DECA members in the state. Once again, I expressed my concern to Mr. Riley, who, again, voiced his confidence in me, telling me that if I just worked hard and practiced role plays, I would succeed at this level as well.

Another saying in which I firmly believe is that you truly do not know what you have until it's gone. During preparation for the state conference, Mr. Riley was hospitalized and was very sick. I found myself holding my breath in anxiety every time an update was given to our class regarding his condition. Things definitely got worse before they got better. There were multiple times when I was unsure if Mr. Riley would make it through, but I kept my faith. I remember the specific day when I promised myself I was going to place at SCDC for Mr. Riley, and I would see him in person again to tell him all about it.

Being a finalist at the state conference as a freshman was something I had never imagined myself accomplishing, but I did it. However, I had one person to thank for giving me the confidence and motivation to tackle that endeavor, and he wasn’t there to see it.

The next time I saw Mr. Riley in person was the next school year. I remember my first day, running to his room to welcome him back, just as he had welcomed me that previous year when I was timid and nervous. As I hugged him with tears of joy in my eyes, he told me how incredibly proud of me he was for my performance at the state conference months prior. The fact that he cared so much to remember something about me as small as that, even when he himself was dealing with so much, showed his selflessness and character.

Then came a new mountain which I set out to climb: running to be a Michigan DECA state officer. I expressed my interest to Mr. Riley early that year. I remember his exact words, “You want to run? Well then, let’s do it!”

Although he was no longer my teacher for a class, I paid a visit to Mr. Riley every day that year. When I was feeling left out of my friend group, I even ate lunch in his room sometimes. He gave me valuable life advice and showed me how, even though times like that hurt, I would grow as a result.

My junior year I started working on my campaign for state office. Looking back on it now, I don’t know how Mr. Riley wasn’t tired of listening to me rant every day about the details of my slogan or the information I had heard about my competition.

There was one day in particular when I was feeling especially discouraged. There were only a few weeks until the day I would give my candidate speech, and I was still unsure that I would get enough votes to be an officer. I stopped by Mr. Riley’s room that day in tears. He immediately recognized that I was feeling overwhelmed, and calmed me down. “Ava, I have no doubt in my mind that you have exactly what it takes to be a State Officer. I have seen how you are over the years and I know you can do it”, he told me. That day I went home and finished everything I had left to do for my campaign, because Mr. Riley gave me the confidence which I was lacking, and made it possible for me to keep going.

Getting my name called at the state conference as one of the newly elected state officers is a moment which I will never forget; but what resonated with me the most that day was when I stepped off of that stage after being sworn in, and saw Mr. Riley with tears in his eyes. Seeing his pride in me made me feel so special. The progress I had made from that anxious little freshman, to then promising growth to Michigan DECA in front of 5,000 people was incredible, and I owe it all to Mr. Riley.

I am now a senior reflecting on my high school experience. As I reminisce on the moments which shaped me into who I am presently, the majority of them were spent in Riley’s room, talking with him about DECA, life, and anything else that was on my mind. His marketing class that I took freshman year literally changed my life, as dramatic as it sounds. I would not be planning on studying business in college if not for my experience in DECA, and I would not have continued with DECA had it not been for Mr. Riley, who instilled in me the drive and passion which I learned as a result.

I hope you enjoyed reading my essay, as I cannot express enough the positive impact which Mr. Riley had on me throughout high school.

-Ava Jean