Tim Walz was a leader in my high school classroom. He’ll be one for our country, too.

On the debate stage on Tuesday, the American people got a chance to meet the man I’ve known for the last 20 years. In 2001, I had Tim Walz — now governor of Minnesota and vice presidential candidate — as a teacher at Mankato West High School.

There was one spot in the classroom where you would rarely find Mr. Walz: behind his desk.

Most of my teachers opted to lecture their students from behind that barrier. That wasn’t Mr. Walz’s style. In his usual oversized shirt and baggy slacks, Mr. Walz would excitedly pace up and down the rows of desks that lined his social studies classroom. He peppered us with questions, encouraged discussion, and clued us into what was happening around the world.

I saw Mr. Walz lead in the classroom many years before he became a household name. And when I see him today, it’s clear he’s that same guy: fiercely committed to helping his community and his country.

It’s no surprise, then, that Mr. Walz was a favorite among students at Mankato West High School. He was also a role model. I’ll never forget the part he played on the darkest day we lived through together.

It was the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. While in my first class of the day, the North Tower of the World Trade Center was struck. By third period, the South Tower had collapsed.

I was in Mr. Walz’s class then, and he wasn’t his usual, animated self. No one was. We watched in horror as the events of the day played out in front of us on television.

And as a blanket of uncertainty and fear loomed over us, Mr. Walz turned off the broadcast and gave us simple directions: Go outside.

Gathered under the Minnesota sun, he led us through that terrifying stretch. Together, we cried, prayed, and reflected on what we had just witnessed.

It was a small gesture, but one grounded in the gravity of the situation at hand. While his classroom of young students feared for the future, Mr. Walz provided comfort and led with the same calm, compassion, and kindness our country is now familiar with.

Because that’s the kind of teacher Mr. Walz was: deeply empathetic, caring, smart, endlessly committed to his students, and, yes, a bit goofy, too.

He had enough animation and energy to power a village, and he never lost sight of his values when it came to advocating for his students and the community he loved.

When a teacher of mine refused to honor my learning disability, Mr. Walz made clear to me that he was in my corner. When, in the ‘90s, LGBTQ students wanted to form a gay-straight alliance, Mr. Walz stood with them and became the group’s first faculty sponsor. And when nobody believed in a losing football team from a small town, Mr. Walz’s confidence never wavered, and he instilled that belief into the team, coaching them to a state championship.

When Mr. Walz left the classroom for Congress, he continued to fight for people most in need of a voice. Working across the aisle, he passed legislation to help stem veteran suicides and delivered much-needed relief to our local farmers.

And as governor of the state I once called home, he has been a staunch, steadfast champion for the people.

He signed the largest tax cut in state history to give working families more breathing room, lowered the cost of insulin to $35 per month, eliminated predatory “junk fees” that corporations used to line their pockets, and made paid leave a reality so that every worker can take care of their loved ones without worrying about losing their job.

And when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, he made Minnesota the first state in the nation to codify abortion rights into law so that women would retain the power to make decisions about their own bodies.

At every stage of his career, he has led with unwavering integrity and has been a champion for people like me. The same cannot be said of his opponents in this race.

And when Mr. Walz becomes Vice President Walz, I know he will lead with that same rock-solid character, integrity, and grit in fighting for all Americans.

Mick Coughlan is a graduate of Mankato West High School (’03) in Mankato, Minn., where he was a student of Gov. Tim Walz. He currently lives in Philadelphia and works as head carpenter at Walnut Street Theatre, where he is a member of IATSE Local No. 8.