A giant who turned into a mentor.

This week, public health lost a giant. Stanley Foster was one of the first people to reach out after I was admitted to Emory for my MPH. He was one of two people to recruit me by taking the time to learn about my work and show he valued it. He initiated an email to show me that I mattered as a person and professional. As a teacher, he taught me how to use data and make it real—not just numbers… and then during our spring break course, he introduced me to CBPAR as a discipline and validated years of the work I had done in practice. I remember thinking, “Who am I to warrant such immense mentorship from someone who is THIS accomplished?” But that was Dr. Foster. A giant who turned into a mentor. And then there was that time that he gave my then four year old a wooden hippo. 🙂 I will forever be grateful to Dr. Foster and hope that he is resting easy on the other side.