My parents are ordinary people.
But the things they do and the way they make people feel are extraordinary.
This morning, I got to sit in a room full of people who started as coworkers, colleagues, neighbors, teammates and friends and somewhere along the way became lifetime friends and family, as my parents were inducted into the
Blue Valley Educational Foundation Hall of Fame.
My mom talked about the role public education played in shaping my brother and I, not just what we knew when we walked out of school, but who we were when we entered the world.
We had teachers, coaches, administrators, and communities who challenged us to think bigger, work harder, care about people, and become better versions of ourselves.
And because people invested in us, we learned that we have a responsibility to invest back.
My dad,
Tom Herzog, talked about something I’ve watched him live my entire life: public education shapes communities, and communities shape public education.
Neither exists at its best without the other.
We are better together.
I think that’s probably one of the greatest things my parents have taught me.
That changing the world doesn’t always look extraordinary.
Sometimes it looks like showing up.
Remembering someone’s name.
Opening a door.
Making a phone call.
Believing in a kid before they believe in themselves.
Bringing people to the same table.
Choosing, over and over again, to leave something a little better than you found it.
Public education has the power to change the trajectory of a kid’s life and, sometimes, an entire family tree.
I know that because I’ve watched it happen.
And maybe even more personally, because I am part of one.
The older I get, the more I realize how much of the way I try to move through the world came from watching my parents love people well, make room for them, expect something of them, show up when it matters, and use whatever influence you have to make things better for the people coming behind you.
What a gift to get to watch two ordinary people build an extraordinary legacy not because of an award or a Hall of Fame induction, but because of the people who are different because my parents were part of their story.
Proud is an understatement and really, really grateful that I get to be part of their family tree.
Huge thanks to:
Julie Dreiling Hiett,
Matthew Arnheiter,
David Strocchia,
Scott Green,
Todd Churchill,
AJ Peterson,
Isabelle Williams,
Christopher Kavlick, MBA,
Matt Ortman,
Jennifer Stock,
Nick Herzog