LEARN

BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

This story is a little longer than usual, but it is worth telling.

When I was a high school student, I served on the Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council at the Kentucky Department of Education. That experience was more than a title or an opportunity to pad a résumé. It was a moment in time that shaped the way I think about people, policy, and purpose.

During that time, I helped facilitate empathy interviews with students, families, and educators across Kentucky. Those conversations were not just data points. They were the foundation for something powerful: a statewide initiative called United We Learn KY. That vision still guides the future of K–12 education in Kentucky, and it began with the belief that listening with compassion leads to meaningful change.

Even as a teenager, I knew I would return to that process someday. I knew I would use empathy interviewing again, not as a high school student, but as a researcher committed to serving others.

This semester, I did precisely that. As part of my master’s research project, I conducted empathy interviews with students and faculty at a rural community college. I asked hard questions and listened carefully to stories about internet access, communication, support systems, and the emotional weight of learning in underserved areas.

I used those conversations to shape my study and to lift the voices of people who deserve to be heard. This morning, just hours before I presented my final project, something happened that gave me pause.

As I arrived at work, I was thinking about my presentation. I was mentally rehearsing how I would explain my decisions and how I might support my methodology. And then, out of nowhere, my United We Learn sticker fell from a shelf and landed directly on the keyboard of my laptop.

Some people call it a coincidence. I do not.

To me, it felt like a message, a moment of clarity, and a reminder that what I started years ago is still part of who I am today. That small sticker reminded me that the work I do matters. It reminded me that nothing in this life is wasted if we choose to carry it forward with intention.

This evening, after I had finished presenting my research, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment. But even more than that, I felt a sense of peace. A sense of being in the right place, doing the work I was called to do.

I have come to understand that life is not about fancy titles or expensive possessions. It is about the legacy we build with the time we are given. It is about using our knowledge, our skills, and our experiences to bring hope to others.

I want to do that in the years to come. I want to build a legacy rooted in compassion and sustained by the belief that education can be a light in the darkness.

Over the next several decades, I will continue using what I have learned to bring hope and optimism to the people of Kentucky because I believe in this place and its people. I believe that when we listen, truly listen, we help others see that they matter.

That is what United We Learn taught me. That is what Dr. Jason Glass taught me. That is what this journey continues to teach me. And I am just getting started.

As I reflect on all of the interviews, the stories, and the sticker falling when it did, I cannot help but believe that none of it happened by accident. As Esther 4:14 reminds us, perhaps I was born “for such a time as this.” There is power in recognizing that our presence in a moment is not random. It is divine placement.

For me, legacy begins not with a grand gesture but with something as simple as communication. It starts with a conversation, with the choice to ask a question and truly listen to the answer.

That is why I chose to pursue my master’s degree in communication. Words have the power to uplift, heal, connect, and bring change. In the hills of Kentucky, where stories are often the strongest threads in the fabric of community, I believe communication is not just a skill. It is a calling.

I intend to use mine to serve others, to bring hope where it is needed, and to remind people, wherever they are and however far they feel from the spotlight, that they matter, that their story matters, and that their voice can shape a better future for all of us.

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