She was a wonderful woman, even in our spirited debates about our opposing political ideologies. Her Model Senate class taught me how to respect and appreciate differing viewpoints without having a need to agree. And I am proud to have been a participant in that process and her mock trial and model UN clubs.

She made everyone around her better thinkers, debaters, and people. The world is a different place without her brilliant mind here to guide us.

Words can’t describe how much she will be missed.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Karen Minervini Whelan. For those of us lucky enough to have been in her classroom in New York, she was more than an educator—she was a force. She didn't just teach us facts; she taught us how to think for ourselves and challenged us to be better than we thought we could be. When I struggled taking a test in class she found a way for me to be comfortable and allowed me to sit on the floor facing backwards. She taught me the confidence that I could do anything that I put my mind too.

What made her truly even more special was that she never stopped caring. To have a teacher check in on you 30 years later just to see how you were doing says everything about the woman she was. She shaped so many minds and touched so many hearts. You will never be forgotten, Mrs Minervani. RiP Thank you for everything.