Young Author Receives Message from Unexpected Person at Breaking Point in Her Career (Exclusive)

When 26-year-old author Aamna Qureshi checked her inbox recently, she didn’t expect to find a message that would bring back sentimental memories from over a decade ago. 

While browsing through Barnes & Noble, her eighth-grade English Honors teacher, Nicole Wallace, had spotted Qureshi’s name on the cover of a book, bought a signed copy and sent an email to congratulate her former student on being a published author. 

For Qureshi, the message struck a deep chord — especially since Wallace had played such a pivotal role in her journey, so much so that she is lovingly mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements. Their unexpected reconnection became a quiet, full-circle moment years in the making.

“For students, it’s easy to remember teachers because we have so few, but for teachers, they have classes of 25-30 students every year, so it is a lot harder to remember,” Qureshi tells PEOPLE exclusively. “The fact that she remembered me is truly touching. It honestly felt like such a stroke of fate that she found my book the way she did.” 

Qureshi published her first book, The Lady or the Lion, in 2021 at the early age of 22. It had been a few years since the book’s quiet release through a small independent publisher, with limited marketing and distribution. 

Most copies had been sold online, making in-store sightings rare. The fact that her teacher happened to find it at a Barnes & Noble felt like an unexpected and meaningful coincidence. What moved her most was that Wallace recognized her name after all these years.

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“I was absolutely surprised in the very best way,” Qureshi admits. “I can’t entirely describe it in words — which is a bit ironic, given that describing things in words is what I do for a living.”

Hearing from Wallace was a truly delightful surprise, and her kind words brought back warm memories of a class that had always been a joyful part of her childhood. 

At the time the message arrived, Qureshi had been feeling somewhat discouraged about the direction of her career, which made the note land with even more meaning.

“To be honest, at the time the email reached me, I was feeling a bit low regarding the state of my career. I was wishing that my books had done better. I think at some point in everyone’s career, you wonder ‘What is the point of this?’” Qureshi admits. 

However, after emailing her former teacher back, Qureshi was relieved to learn that she had enjoyed reading her book and was incredibly touched by the acknowledgements. 

“Mrs. Wallace’s email reminded me why I write: because I love it and always have. She also helped me to see that I was living the dream of my middle school self, and for that, I was proud.”

A moment Qureshi still remembers with striking clarity – despite years having passed since she was in Wallace’s class – was when the kind-hearted teacher asked her to stay after class one spring afternoon.

Given she was never the kind of student who got in trouble, she wasn’t worried but curious about the request. At first, she thought her teacher wanted to share a book recommendation with her. 

“After the bell rang…she came over to tell me what an extraordinary student I was. In complete earnestness, she said how excited she was to see all that I would accomplish in the future,” Qureshi recalls. 

“I was so touched both by her words and by the fact that she took the time out to tell me. It felt like she was one of the first people to believe in me in such a way.”

Qureshi grew up in New York and was one of the few Muslim students in her entire district. Eighth grade was also the first year Qureshi started wearing a hijab to school – making her feel “out of place and nervous.”

Nevertheless, she emphasizes that her teachers were always “kind, supportive, and respectful,” which gave her the confidence to write stories that authentically expressed her identity as a Pakistani-American. 

“Like most middle schoolers, I was unsure, afraid, and lacking confidence. I had no idea what the future held, and dreaming big felt pointless, like too much of a risk,” Qureshi says. 

“Encouragement at such a time can change the trajectory of your life. It makes all the difference to know that there is someone rooting for you, someone who believes in you.”

Today, Qureshi is the author of six published books, with her seventh set to be released in late August 2025. She primarily writes stories focused on her heritage and religion. 

“In my early years, I faced a lot of racist rejections due to that fact, but I knew that if I kept working, I would eventually find like-minded individuals to work with, and luckily, I did,” she shares. “My favorite part of this job is receiving messages from readers who have resonated or enjoyed my work; it makes all the difficult work getting published worth it.”

When offering advice to young writers hoping to get published, she acknowledges it’s a “difficult pursuit,” but believes that with persistence and trust in your own voice, even the most ambitious dreams are within reach.