March 2, 2009
To Whom It May Concern,
I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Valerie Butler. I had the pleasure of interacting with Valerie over the course of her academic career at UMBC, both as her instructor and as an academic advisor. In my eight years of teaching at UMBC, I have rarely encountered a student as bright, motivated and diligent as Valerie. Throughout her undergraduate education, Valerie illustrated a great affinity and enthusiasm for the sciences, biology in particular. In the classroom, she excelled in analytical problem solving as well as written and oral communication. In all of our interactions in the classroom, I found Valerie insightful, creative and energized.
Outside of lab, I had the opportunity to interact with Valerie on a more informal basis. During each of our meetings, I was impressed by her maturity, positive demeanor and passion for learning. I often felt that I was talking to a colleague rather than a student. Valerie is a well rounded individual and her knowledge and interest in the world around her is both vast and deep. Unlike many of her peers, Valerie’s academic interests did not end with science but rather spanned such fields as fine arts, graphic design and writing.
Valerie has expressed a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of environmental science. I feel that her academic record, volunteer work and extracurricular activities reflect her passion for achieving this goal and I recommend her without hesitation. I am certain that Valerie will succeed in all of her future endeavors, science or otherwise. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
Thank you,
Reagan Lake
Lecturer
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
BS 454
410-455-3384
lake1@umbc.edu