Dr Nadia Lopez was feeling burned out and discouraged when a blog entry on Humans of New York lifted her spirits. One of her students, Vidal Chastanet, named her as his greatest influence, saying “One time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.” Dr. Lopez founded the Mott Hall Bridges Academy five years earlier, in 2010. The middle school is located in Brownsville, Brooklyn, an area described as having “consistently held one of the highest poverty and crime rates of any neighborhood in New York City.” But Dr. Lopez is guided by a belief that every child holds promise; that every child has a possibility to succeed. Today Mott Hall sends students to some of the best high schools in the area, and many of their scholars are inspired to go on to college. Here Dr Lopez shares her inspiration and gives us all a reason to feel good about the future.