Many years ago, My TA in 6.034 for some reason gave me a C for the semester. This made no sense because I was 80% sure I was supposed to get an A. I was hesitant to get in touch with the head TA for the class because I wasn't the sort of student to complain about a grade, but I did it anyway. He told me to come in and talk to PHW himself.

I came in and he asked me why my TA would give me a C and I told him I had no idea. He asked me if I came into recitation, I said yes. He asked me if I participated in recitation and I said yes. He told me that they checked on my grades and indeed it was a mistake.

I thanked him for taking the time to review my grade, and that I've never complained about a grade before but it seemed very off in this case. The expression on his face suddenly firmed up from detached to grave and he looked me in the eye and said "Always speak up when you think something is wrong, if you've earned something don't let someone take it away from you."

It's hard to explain, but that instilled a permanent confidence in me. Whenever I've defended myself in my adult life since then, I've felt the confidence of PHW holding me up. It can't be understated how important little pieces of advice like this are for young people. RIP PHW