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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A new metro Atlanta teacher tearfully reunited with one of the “superheroes” who taught him as a child.

Ricky Latimore Jr. will start his new job as a 4th grade teacher at Flint Hill Elementary School in Newton County next week. On Friday, he was attending a workshop for incoming Newton County Schools teachers when he “experienced a moment that I know could only be orchestrated by the Lord.”

Latimore said when he heard the presenter’s name, Andrea Dowdy, “it immediately resonated deeply within me.”

Dowdy told the new teachers she had been in education for 25 years, primarily teaching 5th grade. Latimore said he couldn’t contain his emotions when he realized Dowdy was his 5th grade teacher at Washington Park Elementary School in Jasper County more than two decades ago.

“You were my 5th grade teacher!” he told her. “You changed my life! You loved me when I was at my lowest! I am Ricky Latimore!”

Dowdy, who now works as a media specialist for Oak Hill Elementary School, instantly recognized Latimore. She walked up to him and gently held his face, just as she had done when Latimore was a child in her class, tearfully repeating, “Ricky, Ricky, my sweet Ricky!”

“She never forgot me, and I never forgot her,” Latimore said. “After 24 years, we were reunited.”

He said Dowdy shared stories from the past, recalling details about him that “only a dedicated teacher who impacts lives deeply could remember.”

Latimore said he grew up in poverty, ashamed that he could only afford thrift-store clothes.

“In those dark times, teachers like Ms. Dowdy were superheroes who restored hope,” he said. “It was teachers like her that helped me to understand that I could walk with my head held high.”

“Standing before her as a 34-year-old man, I felt fortified by the profound influence this angel of a teacher had on me all those years ago,” Latimore said. “Ms. Dowdy stands as a symbol of inspiration to persevere in education, reminding us of the life-changing power in our mission as educators.”