My name is Donnie and I want to thank Elliott Niblack for his coaching skills! I want to thank him because he helped me through a lot while I was teaching in a KIPP school.

I had a passion to teach kids the reality of education and leadership. Like any teacher you are not always subject to happiness at your job. This situation presented itself as I was expected to do a lot. Little did I know, some of the things were beginning to take a toll on me. To make matters worse, I was not being recognized for my work. This is where I needed help as I was becoming a ticking time bomb that was seconds away from detonation. I noticed that after Elliott began working with me. We quickly reached a connection. Elliott helped me realize what was bothering me and how I needed to understand that it was not my fault. It was such a relief having Elliott because he not only understood me, but he listened and offered his personal advice.

For the next year and half, Elliott and I communicated about my life in general. I put my trust in Elliott because he was not only a coach to me, but a person who I could call a friend. I expressed to Elliott what I wanted to do with my life professionally and that it was difficult at times. He said “it could be hard but you can do anything that you put your mind to homie.” As he began to talk with other teachers at the school I saw just how popular Elliott could be as he motivated them to achieve happiness in their life as well.  I think that it is amazing to see an individual smart and determined to make an impact in other people’s lives.