When Passion Meets… a One-Liner

When Passion Meets… a One-Liner

by SueSue

You know that feeling when you pour your heart into an email?

You write a carefully worded message to a prestigious institution—let’s say, UCLA. You include your greetings, you give thoughtful background about your work with vulnerable communities, highlight your doctoral degree, years of service, and passion for moving from a classified to a certificated role. You even sign it off politely with your contact info, hoping for guidance, maybe even encouragement.

And then…
they reply with one sentence.

No “Dear Dr. Fallah,”
No “Thank you for your interest,”
No “We appreciate your commitment to education and community wellness.”
Just a cold, corporate, copy-paste-sounding phrase. Like tossing a pebble into a canyon and hearing... nothing back.

I sat there staring at my screen, blinking. Did I accidentally email a vending machine?

Look—I get it. People are busy. Credentialing offices are overloaded. But when you're reaching out as a professional, a human being who deeply cares about their work and community impact, a one-liner reply feels more like a door slam than a welcome mat.

Still, I take it as a reminder: not all responses reflect your value. Sometimes your passion isn't mirrored back—but it’s still there. Still valid. Still powerful.

So I’ll keep writing passionate emails. I’ll keep seeking the right doors. And maybe next time, someone will reply with more than just a sentence—maybe even with heart.

Until then, I’ll just add this to my growing list of "emails that deserved better."