By Chris Oddo | Tuesday May 2, 2017
What’s not to love about a tennis star going back to her roots? That’s what Venus Williams did this week, in conjunction with the California Lottery.
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The seven-time major champion visited Mark Twain Elementary School in Lynwood, Calif. And checked in on her first-grade teacher, Judy Vellegas, who has been teaching at the school for over 30 years.
The result? A breathtaking, tear-jerking two and a half minutes that left us looking in the mirror and wondering what we could do to help make the world a better place.
Just what we needed.
That’s what we love about this video, and it's also what we love about Venus Williams: She knows how to inspire. The 36-year-old is never hesitant to jump at a chance to make a difference, and here she does what so many of us should do more often: thanks a teacher for being a guiding influence and a comfort in her life. The gesture is simple, but it means so much.
Which is probably why we were crying while watching this video.
“I felt inspired, I felt nourished,” says Williams in the video. “The care that she takes with each student, you can tell that there’s love in her heart.”
May is Teacher’s Appreciation Month, so there’s plenty of time for us all to get out there and do the same.