I was totally caught off guard when, about a month ago, I got an email that Sylvia Jones, a longtime teacher in Marin — and who taught yours truly at Redwood High School — had died at age 88. A former student, Ted Kniesche, wanted to pay tribute to her and what he’d taken from his time with her in Redwood’s journalism program. His words echoed sentiments I too felt; besides my parents, she was the first person to nurture and cheerlead my love of journalism, pushing me to be the best I could be. A few years into working at the IJ, she wrote to me that she was happy to see I had landed at the IJ and she was happily following my work — that will always stick with me.

With this in mind, I’d love to know about your mentors, or the people who have inspired you along the way. Maybe it’s your parents or a teacher or an author, artist or other creative you’ve never met before but whose work resonated with you. What did they teach you? What sticks with you? Whoever or whatever comes to mind, I’d love to know.

If you want your story to run in the IJ, please:

• Write “Six-word story” in the subject line

• Send one six-word story

• Include your full name and Marin town in the body of the email

Please send to lifestyles@marinij.com by April 18 and look for it in the April 29 lifestyles section and online.