When Helena Epstein faced the challenging prospect of taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), she turned to her older sister Emilia for support. What she received was more than just advice—it was a powerful reminder of kindness from a stranger, captured in a voicemail that would touch hearts worldwide.
Emilia had taken the GRE three years earlier in Boston. She saved a voicemail from the test center, where a representative named Tameka Rooks had left an encouraging message: “Come confident and well prepared. Miss Emilia, this is what you studied for, this is what you worked hard for. Bring your best girl confidence. Bring your best girl magic. It’s called girl power. Girl power is the best power, ain’t nothing better than that! So, put in your head that this is what you want. Don’t come nervous.”
When Helena, 24, a consultant in Houston, expressed her anxiety about the upcoming GRE, Emilia knew she had to share the voicemail. As Emilia played it over FaceTime, Helena began to cry. “I’m not a good test taker. I was feeling stressed and under a lot of pressure,” she said. “I thought [the voicemail] was so sweet.”
Tameka Rooks has been going viral for a voicemail message she left on a student’s phone right before a big test. Photo courtesy of Rooks
After posting the message on TikTok, the voicemail quickly went viral with more than 6 million views. Emilia, now a project manager in San Francisco, remembers the day she first heard it, and how much it mattered to her.
I was in tears, thinking, ‘Who is this woman who doesn’t know me but took the time to make sure I felt good about myself?’”
The next morning, Helena decided to share the voicemail on TikTok, hoping someone might recognize the kind stranger. “Imagine someone sees it and knows who she is,” she told her sister. The video reached more than 6 million views.
A TikTok user drove to a Boston test center and confirmed that Rooks had worked there. Helena called the center, which agreed to pass her contact details to Rooks. Rooks said she was astonished when she saw the video: “It was just unbelievable. To see that so many people had already seen it by the time I found out! The world knew before I did.”
When Helena and Rooks finally spoke, Helena shared how much her words had meant to so many people. “A voicemail like this can really change people’s perspective on how they’re feeling about an exam, or how they’re feeling about an interview,” Helena said. “Everyone needs to hear nice words.”
Rooks, now a manager at a different testing location, explained that leaving such messages was a routine part of her job. “The goal is to get you to come in and not be nervous,” she said. “It’s a lot of money [to take the exams]. So I’m just trying to push you.”
You might be my next doctor. I might need your help one day.”
Helena’s performance on the GRE, her best to date, was influenced by the uplifting message. “I attribute some of my performance to that ‘girl power’ I got right before the exam,” she said.
The TikTok comments revealed that many others had received similar encouraging voicemails from Rooks over the years. For Rooks, while she is glad that it has helped people, she wants them to remember that in the end, it’s just a voicemail. “If you need to hold on to it, hold on to it. But don’t think that you need somebody to tell you that you’re great. That’s within you,” she said.
@helenebobene UPDATE: as promised here is the phone call with Tameka! We talked for a while so I sped up the video a bit 🥹 she told me she will get back to me in a few days with her own video response to all of your comments and love❤️😭🥹🤩 keep spreading love #girlmagic #findtamika @Tameka Rooks ♬ original sound – helena
