March 2019

Dear Collin,

Thank you for choosing to complete 200 internship hours during from March – December 2018 with
The Outreach Center. This internship made it very clear that you were made to work in higher
education.
In 200 hours, you have given The Outreach Center and the first-gen community more than I could ever
imagine. We have a First-Gen Infographic that we can update annually to help us stay in tune with how
the first-gen community is growing. That infographic can be found in various departments on campus
and online. This infographic makes first-gen students visible in higher education – a place that can
often make first-gen students feel invisible.
You built the First To Soar Peer Mentor Program from scratch. From the logo design to helping to
facilitate mentor training, you paid great attention to detail. This mentor program gives first-year and
sophomore students a peer they can rely on for big and small questions. It provides first-gen students a
sense of belonging and community – something Seattle University students say they have a hard time
feeling and finding.
Through the research of best practices to create First To Soar, you helped us build a relationship with a
fellow Jesuit university doing similar work. You’ve opened a door to future opportunities to
collaborate with other Jesuit universities – reminding us that our commitment to first-gen students is
much larger than us.
From orientation presentations to incoming first-gen students to finals week pancakes, your care for
the first-gen community does not go unnoticed. There was rarely an ask that you said no to. You
became a partner in the first-gen work. You sought opportunities to go above and beyond to make the
most of your internship experience. You made me and the rest of The Outreach Center team feel
supported and seen. The relationships you built with The Outreach Center student staff will carry on
after your time at SU, because you have become their mentor, role model, and biggest cheerleader.
Your contributions to The Outreach Center will propel us forward, as we continue to make Seattle
University more accessible to all first-gen students.

I feel honored to have journeyed with you during your time in the Student Development
Administration program. Your confidence, public speaking, and relationship-building skills have
grown tremendously. Your decision making and planning best illustrate how an educator can tailor
student services for specific populations.
I can’t wait to see the things you do to make higher education a better place. To achieve all the things
you aspire to, I hope you’ll consider this: Stop getting in your own way. Stop giving attention to all the
things that “could be better.” Stop apologizing for not being enough, because you are more than
enough.
Thank you for your commitment, energy, and passion. You have left an imprint at Seattle University
and in my life as an educator.

Warmly,
GRae