The person I'd most like to thank is a woman called Mrs Gomez, who was the librarian at the public library near my home in Cavite, in the Philippines, when I was a teenager.
What she did for me was huge, although I only understood it later. My family didn't have a computer or internet at home, and when I was fifteen I wanted to apply for a scholarship to a science high school in Manila. The application had to be typed and included an essay. Mrs Gomez let me use the library computer after closing time for two weeks, because during opening hours there was always a queue. She stayed late, unpaid, sitting at her desk doing paperwork while I wrote. She also read my essay and suggested I cut half of it, which I was annoyed about at the time but which was definitely the right advice. I got the scholarship, and it changed the direction of my whole life. I'm now a civil engineer.
I haven't thanked her properly mainly because life moved quickly. I left for Manila at sixteen, then university, then work, and by the time I went back to the library, about eight years later, she had retired and moved away. I said thank you at the time, of course, but I don't think I really understood how much she gave me.
I'd like to thank her in person, ideally. I'd tell her where that scholarship led, and I'd like to bring her something meaningful. Actually, I've been thinking about donating a couple of computers to that library in her name, so that some other kid who needs a quiet place after closing time has one.