andrea de leon letter of promise 1
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Letter of Promise from Fellow StudentTRANSCRIPT
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Jon Merrill Assistant Resident Director 1032 W Sheridan Rd | Chicago, Illinois 60660 p (773) 508-3680 [email protected]
March 14, 2015
To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter in support of Andrea De Leon's promise as a professional in higher education. I
have had the pleasure of attending Loyola University Chicago's Higher Education program with
Andrea as well as working alongside her as an Assistant Resident Director (ARD) in Loyola's
Department of Residence Life. In both of these roles I have had the opportunity to grow beside her and
have watched as she has made meaning of why she wants to be a higher education professional.
Overall, Andrea has cultivated meaningful relationships with the students and peers she works with as
well as demonstrated a passion for research. These qualities she possess contribute to her promise as a
professional.
My earliest interactions with Andrea was working alongside her as a member of the Simpson Hall
professional staff. In this role, Andrea created strong and meaningful connections with her student
staff members. The value of care was clearly evident in her work - she regularly sacrificed her own
time in order to make sure that her staff felt supported. She extended this ethic of going the extra mile
to her administrative responsibilities as well. Andrea also did a great job of supporting her ARD peers.
During the transition into my role as an ARD, Andrea was very open to debriefing common
experiences and obstacles that we faced. Within the larger Residence Life community, Andrea
continually strives to make sure that her voice and opinions are heard. In these settings, she offers
crucial input.
Andrea's administrative strength and her dedication to supporting her peers and students assists her in
successfully fulfilling her role as an ARD. However, I think it is in her role as a scholar that her
passion for higher education truly emerges. Throughout our time together in this program Andrea has
been a critical consumer of our education and has sparked class discussions. This year, I worked with
Andrea on a semester-long evaluation project. Throughout this project I witnessed her intellectual
curiosity and passion for discovering new knowledge. She brought a critical eye to our project and
challenged both of us to continually refine what we were trying to assess. By joining a research team,
Andrea has found a vehicle to express this passion. For me, it has been a powerful experience being
able to work with someone who shares an interest in the research side of higher education.
In sum, Andrea cares deeply about her work as a higher education professional. She has served many
roles throughout her time in this program and in each role she has put effort into to going above and
beyond. Her commitment to her work and intellectual curiosity are strengths that she will bring with
her to this field. Watching Andrea has inspired me to go above and beyond in my various roles as well.
As such, I am honored to call Andrea both my friend and professional colleague, and I look forward to
seeing her impact within higher education.
Sincerely,
Jon Merrill Assistant Resident Director Northside Area Loyola University Chicago M.Ed. Higher Education 15