Waiting To Connect
Have you ever heard of Nasir Ahmed? You have this gentleman to thank if you FaceTime, Zoom, or do any online video chatting.
He and his team developed Discrete Cosine Transform in 1972 – the very technology that keeps us all connected with friends and family today.
I learned about this remarkable scientist on the hit television show THIS IS US. Throughout the entire program, several family members were video chatting from around the country. They couldn’t be together in person due to Covid, but through the wonders of FaceTime they were able to see newborn babies and one another.
Having reached the one year mark of the pandemic, I am recognizing more and more how much genuine human connection is needed now more than ever.
My team and I have spoken at length this year about our commitment to providing you and our COU family with more meaningful connections with our beloved kids and their families.
I had a personal experience recently that really brought this home for me. Last month, after a particularly long day in the office, I was driving home with my sweet dog Samson when out of nowhere my car died in the middle of a pitch-dark road. Within a few minutes, Samson and I were both quite cold and unable to get out of the car due to a complete electrical failure.
As I waited on hold with AAA, a woman pulled over and got out of her car. She insisted on helping me and Samson. I was able to lower my window just enough to pass her my car keys. She got the driver’s door open, charmed Samson out of the backseat and invited us to her home to warm up while we waited for a tow truck.
Her name was Abigail and she was returning home from a long day herself. She is the caregiver for the 97-year-old great, great, great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson.
I felt an instant connection with her. I shared with her that I had been my parent’s caregiver until their passing and how I knew she must have been exhausted from her day. I also told her how much she had inspired me to believe in the goodness of people again. We traded phone numbers and I promised when the pandemic allowed, I would buy her a cup of coffee. Later that evening, Abigail even texted to ensure we were home safe and sound.
A virtual stranger had become a special connection in mere moments.
Throughout this last year, technology has gratefully kept us all connected. Reimagining how we stay connected to you (and all of our COU friends) is something we will be exploring in the coming months. Suffice to say, you will absolutely be “seeing” us and our Uganda family in more meaningful ways.
I am eternally grateful to the Indian-American innovator Nasir Ahmed for having a vision so bold and so outrageous that it’s keeping families and friends all over the world connected and a video chat away. And Abigail, I am eternally grateful for our connection as well. You restored my belief in the kindness of strangers; and that in fact, there truly are no strangers.
