To most of Liberty, she’s Mrs. O’Brien, English teacher. But to me, she’s Alyssa.

I remember freshman year, when I played volleyball on the C team. I was terrified of upperclassmen, intimidated by my teachers, and overall, just extremely confused. Alyssa was the coach then, and I remember asking for advice about time management during practice and telling her stories about what happened in chemistry that morning–when I probably should’ve been conditioning or doing drills, but I digress–and throughout the season, she helped me become more comfortable with an unfamiliar school.

Last year, as a sophomore, I was a lot more stressed than I was freshman year. But for me, the season was worth it, because Alyssa coached C team again. And every day, when something bad happened, a low test score, miscommunication in a group project, or drama between friends, I felt so much better just knowing I had someone to talk to.

And every morning, when I came in right at the bell and dragged my feet past her classroom with sleepy eyes and dark circles after an all-nighter, wearing sweats and slippers, she would laugh when she said, “You look tired,” But it always made my dreary morning a little brighter.

I’ve never had Alyssa as an English teacher, but she’s been there for me and watched me grow from a confused freshman to the junior I am today and acknowledged my struggles as well as my accomplishments along the way.

This year, I don’t see her as often, but I am beyond grateful for her and in all the ways she helped me grow as a person, even though I have never sat through a single lesson in her classroom.