Editor’s Note: This article is part of our series of highlighted exemplar recognitions. See our introduction post for all the details, or view all the posts in this series.

David Rappaport is a Level 3 Judge from Westland, Michigan. His nominations during Wave 4 focused on his ability to demonstrate positivity and leadership in very impactful ways. Here is what Judges had to say about David’s efforts:

“This is a long due recognition I should have made to David. A long time ago, I attended a GP in the US. I was team leading, and David as on my team. David had always a smile on his face, no matter how boring the task. More important, he put a lot of effort in making me feel conformable and welcome at the event (it was one of my first time in the US). I cannot express how important was for me, on those circumstances, to receive the support David offered me. For the efforts in making a strange, Brazilian guy, feel welcome and part of the team, I would like to recognize David as an example to us.”

“On Slips team at GP Indy, I was late arriving to help sort slips at the end of one of the rounds. Instead of berating me for being late, or deciding that I was unreliable and not giving me further responsibility, you took me aside and told me that I was to be in charge of sorting slips for the next round. You gave me a second chance to prove that I could handle responsibility, rather than giving up on me. I think that this is an example of exemplary leadership.”

“I have known David for almost a year now and the “marks” that have been left on me by David are vast and deep and I know that because of his help I will continue to grow and some day pass that mentorship on to other judges. David is always happy and welcoming to people when I have seen them meet him and he will go out of his way to talk to other judges throughout the day and I call him a “cheerleader” because he always makes people feel happy when they are done and they are also pumped up to complete the activity that he has them doing. David would be awesome if he just stopped there but he does not he is always looking for ways to make the judges that he comes in contact with grow and get stronger and this is not a fun thing to go through but he does it in such a way that you know it is for your best and that he will be there to support you as you through it. I rank David in top three judges that had taught me the most in this program and I hope that his “marks” will always be visible on me.”

“David, I was on your team at GP Indy and you guided me through a stressful 2nd GP. Your way of pressing for answers about my mental state was greatly appreciated and it helped me understand what exactly I was thinking instead of giving a robotic answer. You took time out of your day to make sure I had a few one-on-one chats and that made the difference between feeling like a judge and a Judge. Thank you.”

Here’s what John Temple, a local L3, had to say:

All this recognitions just show exactly what you are, a great mentor who has helped to build Michigan and the Great Lakes region into the great place it is. I remember when I moved to Michigan and was an L2 eagerly pursuing L3 you gave me opportunities to embed myself into the community and become a community leader. This opened so many doors and challenges for me and I can never thank you enough for that help!