Dear Mr. Pelzer,

I just finished A Child Called It, and I have to admit, each word I read provided me with such a profound wealth of knowledge. I am an undergraduate in psychology at Skidmore college. I'm about to enter my junior year and have recently decided that I want to continue through to a PHD in developmental psychology, specializing in high risk children.

My mom has worked for Head Start for a very long time. It's a government-run preschool program for low-income families. For years, my love of children resulted in frequent visits to her classroom. More recently, the program has become a place of employment during school breaks. I'm truly blessed to be able to come home to so many incredible children who make me feel like Superwoman.

Obviously, simply coming from a low income background doesn't mean that all of these children are abused. Thankfully, most of the boys and girls come from very loving homes that simply need some help getting on their feet. However, in my time with this organization, I've seen my share of questionable bruises and clearly rehearsed stories to go with them.

This summer has been a wake up call. For the first time, I looked into a child's eyes and could see the pain inside.

While the school is well aware of what is going on within its jurisdiction and what is going on at home, I always feel that more can be done. While loving teachers are necessary, and in your case, played a role in saving your life, I feel I am destined for something bigger.

I want to work in policy, making DCF more airtight, foolproof, so that I don't have to hear about children dying because someone dropped the ball. I want to heal the mind of abused children; help them to be "carefree; playing in the sun," as you put it. In a world of horror stories and viciously flawed systems, it can be incredibly discouraging to try to make a lasting difference.

Thank you for reminding me that it only takes one teacher, one social worker, or even one loving onlooker to get the ball rolling and to create that lasting change I crave so intensely. I am also reminded of this when I am greeted with such excitement, hearing 10 plus tiny voices screaming my name when I enter a classroom at work. It truly is one of the greatest feelings in the world to be so unconditionally loved. I hope these kids feel that same love tenfold from me every second of every school day. I don't have children of my own. But I imagine the love a parent feels for their child just about matches how much I care for these kids. Someday down the road, I hope my children have even half of the love, strength and incredible resilience that Head Start children have.

Thank you for your gift of writing. You truly are an inspiration.

Best,

Abigail Ranger
Skidmore College, Class of 2018
aranger@skidmore.edu