Mentor Thank You Note

Dear John,

Has anyone ever made a “John Deer” joke at the beginning of a letter to you? Probably not, it's a horrible joke.

When Emanuel first invited me to come to check out your forge in the summer of 2020 I never imagined it would come to this. Even over this past summer of working for you, I was unsure if I would be able to do blacksmithing as my senior project. Due to a lack of location to forge while you were away. When you said you would be willing to allow me to access your forge whilst you were gone, I was thrilled and honored beyond words. You gave me the resources to be able to turn a passion project and passing dream into a scholastic opportunity and solid reality. I look forward to working with and for you again this coming summer, improving and solidifying my skills as much as possible before college. Completing this project fulfilled more than just a graduation requirement, it allowed me to finally point at something I made and say “I made that functional work of art” and not feel like I was lying.

Thank you for this opportunity,

Alden Berkey