LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Christopher Barkus was nominated anonymously.

During the week Mr. Barkus was nominated, he quietly did something extraordinary for a student, an act of kindness that will be remembered for a lifetime.

After class one day, a student approached a staff member and shared that she had an old laptop that belonged to her late mother. The laptop didn’t work, it had no charger, and she didn’t know the password. When asked why she couldn’t just ask her mom, she revealed that her mother had recently passed away. Through tears, she explained that all she wanted were the photos stored on the device, images of her mom she feared were lost forever.

The staff member had no way to help but reached out to Mr. Barkus, explaining the situation. Despite knowing the work would need to be done outside of regular hours, Mr. Barkus didn’t hesitate. With professionalism and care, he took the laptop, recovered the precious photos, and saved them to a brand new 64GB flash drive he had prepared specifically for the student. He then returned both the laptop and the flash drive, asking for nothing in return.

Mr. Barkus didn’t know the student. The student didn’t know him. But he stepped in anyway, quietly, generously, and with compassion. He asked for no recognition, but his actions have deeply moved everyone who’s heard the story.

This student will never forget what Mr. Barkus did. Neither will the staff member who witnessed it. In a world that often moves too fast, Mr. Barkus took the time to make a real difference and, in doing so, set an example for us all.

"He reminds us why we’re here: to support, to care, and to make a difference in the lives of students," said the nominator.