June 2019

Dear Kayla,

Thank you for choosing to complete 100 internship hours during from March – June 2019 with
Student Success & Outreach (SS&O).

You worked diligently to uplift SU’s first-gen community by creating a webpage and
highlighting first-gen faculty and staff. Students will be able to easily find professors and
administrators who identify similarly. This will directly impact their sense of belonging and
success. And, as a staff member, I feel like I’m part of a first-gen community too. So much
energy is given to first-gen students, and I’m glad you were able to show that we can also uplift
our first-gen faculty and staff.

Who knew that the work you would do to understand the adult learner experience at Seattle U
would foreshadow what was to come in your second year in your graduate program? By creating
and implementing a survey, we were able to learn that adult learners are looking for a learning
community. You also created a great infographic that we can update each year to bring more
visibility to adult learners by highlighting their programs of study, ever-changing demographics,
and barriers to success. Adult learners can easily get forgotten in decision making and
community building. Your work made sure that SU continues to focus on the ways adult learners
thrive in the college environment.

You worked on projects for populations you don’t personally identify with. You understood and
articulated the responsibility we have to ensure student success, even if we don’t personally
identify with a student’s identities or experiences. You did research and educated yourself to
ensure we were keeping students at the heart of our decision making.

Each day, you came to internship ready to engage and eager to learn. From co-facilitating a
conflict workshop during staff meeting to joining us on office outings outside of your scheduled
hours, you made the work easy and enjoyable. The SS&O team values your reliability and
willingness to contribute in any way. Those are necessary qualities to team success, and they are
so natural for you.
I’m excited for your future in higher education and student affairs. I’ve seen you discover your
voice, and I hope you’ll continue to use it. When you have something to say, don’t wait too long
to just say it. Continue to work on trusting your ability to lead. You are thoughtful and observant.
Trust your gut. You don’t need to double-check that your decision is the “right” one.

No matter what functional area you land in, you will excel. When you started in SS&O, I
immediately took notice of your compassion, self-initiative, and ability to learn quickly. Our
field needs people like you as we work to make higher education more accessible to all students.
I am so glad that we will continue to grow together as you transition into a graduate assistantship
in SS&O. The Collegia Program will be enhanced by your contributions in the next academic
year. We’re ready for you!

Warmly,
GRae