In my few years of existence on earth, I came to think humans were judgmental, selfish, greedy and wicked — until last semester when I met Carol Francis in my Elementary Spanish class. My faith in humanity was restored. Carol is a loving mother of three, namely Kelly, Kim and John. For 28 years, Carol has been married to Shannon Francis, the man currently representing the 125th district in the Kansas House of Representatives. Carol is the founder and co-owner of Spencer Browne’s coffee shop. “The name Spencer Browne was derived from my late grandmother’s name, Elmira Spencer Browne,” according to Carol. “We decided to stick with the name Spencer Browne because it seems fancier than Elmira.” Carol is someone I would like to see as a mother figure, but the fact that Carol refers to me as “Buddy” makes me appreciate the privilege of having such a wonderful woman as a friend. While in class last semester before Christmas break, Carol would come to me and ask how I would survive during the break. I recall my response to Carol was always, “I will be OK, Carol, thanks.” But somehow Carol figured I was just being egotistical and not admitting I could use some help. Carol brought three big trays of lasagna, some burrito stuff and chicken casserole to my apartment. She also came with three bags of gifts; in these bags were three different gift cards from Wal-Mart, Burger King and an iTunes gift card. I also got different types of cookies, chocolates, oranges, macaroni and cheese, soups, bottled waters, pops, juices and other goodies. Carol was just a Godsend to me during the month of December 2014 because I always feel loved anytime I see her, plus she’s always got something sweet to say to me or to people about me to make me feel good about myself. According to Andrea Rangel, elementary Spanish teacher at Seward County Community College, “I didn’t know Carol before last semester, but she took my class last year and she has proved to be a valuable person. She’s someone I can always talk to, always willing to listen.” “I went through a rough patch not too long ago and she was there for me. Her words of encouragement and praise always make me feel good about myself,” Rangel said. During Christmas break, Carol invited me to hang out with her family and friends at Spencer Browne’s to play a Mexican game called Loteria. There I got to meet Carol’s BFF Susan Lukwago; she is a warm and interesting woman from Kenya. I was opportune to meet Carol’s daughters, Kelly and Kim; I also met Sonia Hernandez and her granddaughter. Hernandez is actually the STEM educator at SCCC/ATS and she’s also a very good friend of Carol. Now I actually see people differently, all thanks to my buddy Carol Francis for making me feel good about myself, and changing my perception about people.