One Student’s Letter to The President

A few weeks ago-as a nation, we embarked on a historic moment. Our nation swore in Joe Biden as President and the first woman and person of South Asian and African American decent to serve in the role of Vice President, Kamala Harris. Alongside her, husband Doug Emhoff, was also sworn in as the first Jewish spouse of a President or Vice President.

This historic moment made an impact on many across the country and around the world, but for one Willows’ student, the impact was felt a week earlier.

It all started on election day as many of us were glued to our TV’s waiting to hear who had won the election. The election results wouldn’t be announced until days later but when it did, one Willows’ student was so relieved and overwhelmed with joy that he wanted to do something. So, he did. Sam, a 5^th grade student at The Willows, decided that he wanted to send then President-Elect Joe Biden a personal letter along with some homemade stickers.

What came from this letter will forever leave an impact on Sam. It was a personalized response from then President-Elect Joe Biden.

I was so inspired by Sam’s ambition as a 5^th grader to write President Joe Biden a letter, that I had to reach out to him along with his parents to find out more.

What made you decide to create stickers and write a letter to then President-Elect of the United States of America?

“Because I thought it was cool that he had been elected. And I was so relieved he’d been elected.”

What inspired you to do this?

“My uncle wrote a letter to Jimmy Carter and got a letter back when he was my age and that inspired me.” 

How did it feel to receive a letter back from the president?

“If felt amazing. It made me think that he was a really good person. And it showed me that if I express myself anything can happen.” 

Is this the first time you’ve done something like this?

“No, I’ve written to Justin Turner of the Dodgers (and he never wrote me back!) I just wrote President Biden back, and VP Kamala Harris and Colin Kaepernick and sent them all a new round of stickers.”

Feeling so inspired by Sam, I asked his parents how they felt about this whole experience. “We loved to see his interest, enthusiasm, and initiative at work. He is a very passionate kid, and we love that he thought it was totally reasonable that the President Elect would like to receive homemade stickers from a 10-year-old.” When asked if they believed The Willows education played a role they said, “We think The Willows has been instrumental in Sam developing confidence and having faith in his own ideas.”

The Willow’s “Can Do” spirit is alive and ingrained in all of us whom walk the hallways. We want our students to live the credo: All things are possible. That’s exactly what this story exemplifies.

When asked about what he included in his letter to President Biden, Sam’s response, “That’s confidential.”

Fair enough.

Thank you, Sam, for inspiring all of us.