1. Ph: 503-491-7443 · Fax: 503-491-7481
Email: joycesherpa@mhcc.edu
Dear Sir or Madam, May 4, 2015
I am extremely excited to write a letter of recommendation for Jennifer Killinger. I had the distinct pleasure of
instructing Jennifer in Chemistry 151, 221, 222 and 223 at Mt. Hood Community College from fall 2007 through
summer 2008. I have kept in contact with Jennifer over the years and recently had the great pleasure of working
with Jennifer as she volunteered during her vacation to teach a highly interactive and innovative outreach class
on Coral Reefs to middle and high school students in my area.
Jennifer’s presentation skills are stellar! A few months ago, Jennifer popped into
my chemistry lab while on a personal vacation to visit family and friends in
Oregon. She showed me her thesis with the outreach modules she had designed
and presented. I was agog and asked her if she would present for me 48 hours
from that moment, on a Saturday morning for a science outreach program I lead
for local home-schooled children. Jen did not hesitate as she enthusiastically
flipped to her project on coral reefs and simply asked, “What time do you need
me here?” She was magnificent! Jennifer engaged, entertained, and educated
my students with first an interactive slide show to teach the students about coral
reefs and symbiosis, followed by an innovative and creative game that brought reefs to life. It was also my acting
debut as I had the prestigious role of a unicorn fish.
Eons ago, when Jennifer took chemistry, I remember how she always combined science with
art in her well-researched and entertaining class presentations: one a dramatic poem about
Ytterbium and another a puppet show advertisement on the wonders of the hormone
oxytocin. Her time and effort as well as her innate passion for science are pHenomenal.
During the third term, Jennifer researched and prepared a demonstration with nitrogen
triiodide, made memorable because while the sample was drying for the presentation in the
laboratory, someone slammed a door and triggered the reaction. When the class arrived,
Jennifer and I could tell immediately from the charred paper towels what had happened.
After a moment of frustration, Jennifer recovered and was able to re-prepare the experiment
and demonstrate to the class. In addition, Jennifer was always a sincere audience participant
for her classmates, listening and asking questions because of her genuine passion to learn
and share.
Jennifer is a natural leader, not afraid to show initiative, and focused on her
goals. She earned A’s and B’s in all my chemistry classes (100%, 89%, 86%,
90%). What stands out most about Jennifer is her desire and determination
to learn and understand. She was never afraid to ask questions, an important
trait for all scientists and teachers. I greatly appreciated Jennifer as a student
because her deep curiosity and outspoken nature kept me on my toes,
whether questions during lecture or visits to my office to review study sets
or labs.
I am confident that Jennifer has the passion, intellect, maturity, and discipline to be a true asset to your team -
and to do so with another innovative and original performance to engage students of all ages formulating in
her mind! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Joyce M. Sherpa, Ph.D.
Chemistry Professor, MHCC