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4/27/2018
To Whom It May Concern,

I can say with all candor that there is no student who I have had over the last two years teaching
at Garza High School that I am more proud of than Brea Jarmon. This is neither hyperbole nor
rhetoric; of all my students, Brea fearlessly requested help and support when she needed it,
continually grew as a student, and consistently rose to overcome challenges.

Garza is a self-paced, alternative public school where students find themselves with the
responsibility to strive daily, with the guidance of facilitators, to push themselves forward
academically and socially. Over the course of two years Brea went from rarely attending school,
to being here daily; she moved past being paralyzed over assignments, to steadily completing
junior and senior English with an 87% average.

There were days when she would say that she couldn't do it. That the work was beyond her or
she was at the end of her rope. But, the next day, or the next, she would be back in class, asking
questions, requesting help, completing drafts. Brea was able to do this certainly because of her
own personal grit and intelligence, but also because she is a devoted continuous learner. For
Brea, obtaining new skills, new opportunities in life, or new achievements, is about building on
the past: on mistakes, on triumphs, on skills learned.

Over the course of her senior English, she stepped out of her comfort zone by reading and
analyzing three texts: Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Shakespeare's Othello, and the novel
Grendel by John Gardner. Throughout these intense projects, Brea provided astounding insights
and immense tenacity.

\
Brea is more than prepared for what the future holds for her. I am excited to hear from her along
her path in the years to come. Whatever she ends up pursuing will be fortunate to have her
kindness, determination, and intelligence.

SID~
ChristianS. Rees

CHRISTIAN REES, English Facilitator, Gonzalo Garza Independence High School

1600 Chicon Street, Austin, TX. 78702 +Phone: 512-414-8647 + christian.rees@austinisd.org