A young man was starting his first year at university and he was looking forward to all the challenges this would bring and the prospect of making new friends. Unfortunately, he found this to be a deeply unhappy experience, because he was always being picked on and teased by other students. He was studying for a law degree and when his fellow students rushed off to the pub, he preferred to spend his time with his head in his books studying. Things came to a head one day when some students knocked his books out of his hands and then ran away laughing. He was bent down picking them up when a voice said, “Can I help?” and looking up he saw what to him looked like a six foot rugby player, beaming down on him.

From that meeting they became firm friends and as his new friend was also taking a law degree, they studied together and the teasing stopped immediately. It later transpired that his friend was indeed a rugby player and played for the university first team. He confessed one day that he had a reputation for enjoying a good scrap and most of the other students were a bit wary of giving him any lip. This explained the sudden change of attitude by the other students.

The student and the rugby player both graduated with a first class law degree and as he stepped forward to receive his degree from the Vice Chancellor he was invited to say a few words. After expressing his thanks to all his tutors he finished with this thought: “Never underestimate the power of your own actions, with one small gesture you can change a person’s life, for better or worse.”