Thank You, Dr. Shakila Merchant, for 22 years of Service!

Dear Shakila,

Thank you for all your endless work and dedication to your baby, NOAA CREST, which has turned into NOAA CESSRST. It’s hard to keep count of how many lives you’ve changed throughout your 22 years of service, and even after this, you’ll continue to serve because that’s just the person you are. You love seeing the transformation within your students and how they’ve grown. I’ve been most excited to see the metamorphosis you’ve embarked on in these past few years. You’ve started to center yourself, take care of yourself, and become your champion for your beliefs and for what you believe is right. Nothing is more motivating and empowering than a woman of color standing ten to toe for what she believes in while taking care of herself physically and mentally. Your continuous fight to be the best person you can be for your students reminds me of the most important lesson you’ve ever taught me: “When you learn how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations, then you’ve mastered the key to life.” And I carry that with me every day. 

While others may believe that vinegar and malice are the way to push a student to show their skill set, you believe in using sugar and honey, which leaves a long-lasting impact on the lives of those you’ve touched and transformed. Because of this, you will breed success into anything that you touch. Thank you for being the giant for the student'’ past, present, and, most importantly, future. Everyone needs and should have a giant to help them reach their full potential, and you have dedicated your life to doing just that. 

Though most will be saying goodbye to you today, I won’t be, and I’m entirely grateful for you. Your dedication to seeing me for who I am and encouraging and lending a hand when I’ve needed guidance has been beautiful. You’ve been through all of it and never once decided that I wasn’t worth fighting for, so you’ll always have a rider in me. And I will show up for you in every way you need me to. When God prepares the feast in front of those who have doubted, degraded, and disregarded me. It fills me with the utmost pleasure that you will be seated beside me at the feast because of your undying love. 

In a field where there aren’t many women who look like us, in a field where everyone will try their best to provoke you because of your color, in a field where a woman has to work hard, women like us have to work 10 times harder. You are our Wonder Woman. Our Super Woman, our Statue of Liberty, shows what is possible. 

Any room you walk into will instantly be filled with abundance, joy, hard work, dedication, and success, so when you choose to walk out of a space you’ve occupied, it will forever leave a gaping hole that won’t be filled. You are the star in any room that you stand in. 

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to your students. The sky may be the limit, but there are footprints on the moon and three rovers on Mars. Your journey has only just begun. I love you!