That time my teacher looked like me

Am I wearing a floral jumpsuit with matching 8" tall barrette? Yes. Don't hate--it was the early nineties. Two things about me: I’m a nerd and I love research.

It should surprise no one that I organized a surprise party for my third-grade teacher when I was eight-years old and that for the last fifteen years, I’ve been trying to find her to say thank you for the impact she had on me.

Mrs. James was the first black woman teacher I ever had—from pre-K through a doctoral degree, she was one of...