Autumn is my favorite season in the northern hemisphere. The colors are brilliant, the air is clear, and it’s time for school. I’m a professor, long time teacher, and the crispness makes me yearn for the classroom.

But time passes and students move on. Still, one of the joys of being a long-time teacher is watching former students soar. I’m lucky to know former students at my university in the U.S. and in Vietnam, where I’ve worked for years, who have become leaders in business, government, and education. Some have stayed in touch but most have not, as is to be expected. We’re all busy, I get it.

But if we make the effort to touch base, the payoff can be remarkable, on so many levels.

I was at a function recently where a former student and research assistant (twenty some years ago) was........

© Psychology Today