A
T
MAY 18, 2026
Dear Ms. Alvarez,
I’ve been meaning to write this since the end of last year, and I’m
glad I finally sat down to do it properly. Thank you — for everything, but
mostly for making me believe my writing was worth taking seriously.
I still think about the October day you returned my essay on
The
Great Gatsby
. You had written in the margin, “This is real thinking. Keep
going.” I read those seven words more times than I’d like to admit.
Before your class, I thought being a good writer was something you
either were or weren’t. You showed me it is something you build — one
draft, one revision, one honest sentence at a time.
Thank you for giving up lunch periods to talk through my college
essays, for pushing me to revise when I was ready to call it done, and
for recommending books you knew I would love before I knew it myself.
You have a rare gift for making your students feel seen, and I know I am
not the only one who would say that.
I am starting at the University of Washington in the fall to study
journalism, and I want you to know you are a large part of the reason I
have the courage to try.
With gratitude and admiration,
Avery Thompson
A V E R Y T H O M P S O N
AVE RY T HOMPSON · LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL · PORT LAND, ORE GON · CLASS OF
2026
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