How It All Began

From Personal Contacts To Twitter

Fortunate to have a diverse group of people in my personal contacts, Three Traits began with me texting people I knew the following question:

“What three traits do you feel successful people have?”

From there, I collected all of the responses, put them in a Google Document, inputted the person’s profession and their three traits, and used that document as a model of inspiration for my students to see that as long as they continue to cultivate three positive traits in their daily lives, that they could make it to become whatever they put their mind to.

Then, it happened…While beginning to teach during the midst of the Coronavirus, I realized that I wanted to have my students work on a project that provided them with hope and creativity. On a phone call with my co-teacher, Brian, he told me after some deliberation that we should have the students do the “Shark Tank” inspired project that we worked on earlier in the school year, and that I should take my Three Traits philosophy to a larger scale and “see what happens”.

While the students were on their “Virtual Spring Break,” I began, with faith and fear, tweeting at professionals, famous people, and businesses, asking for their insight, tips, three traits, and resources to help my students with this project. What I received in return was more than I ever could have imagined… Companies, professionals, and other famous role models began tweeting back, resulting in the business model that became Three Traits.

Upwards of 100 professionals tweeted back to me, providing me with tips, resources, and even virtual meetings! After the first meetings with Amy Smith, TOMS’ Chief Giving Officer, and Noel Hurst, Senior Business Process Architect at Zappos.com and Director of The Knowledge Society, I was sold that every educator and child should be provided with this same opportunity to be connected with successful professionals who can help students with the projects they are currently working on, and to provide something greater and more long lasting than that, which is hope that their own futures can go down the successful paths of these professionals who they look up to with such reverence. 

After these virtual meetings, not only did my students’ projects grow, but their hope, gratitude and resilience grew too as they were able to virtually rub elbows with people who have “Walked The Talk.” It was this faith that drew me to reaching out to these professionals in the first place.

What I didn’t know was the impact it would have on these professionals, as I had a first row seat (albeit virtually) to watch their faces light up, hearing my students’ ideas and grateful comments of joy to these professionals for their time and insight. 

It’s my hope at Three Traits For Hannah, that every educator, student, and professional is rewarded with this moment where a role model can see her importance, an educator can see her value, and a student learn, grow, and be optimistic about his future.