April 9, 2015

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you to share my thoughts on Kjirsten Kennedys professional promise as she enters the
world of student affairs. I supervised Kjirsten during her summer internship with Central Washington
University Des Moines Center. Kjirsten completed a total of 200 hours from June 2014 to September
2014. Kjirsten is an amazing leader who puts students first, applies student development theory to her
practice, and creates inclusive environments where everyone can feel welcomed.
Kjirsten understands the importance of building relationships to increase collaboration. Kjirsten has
made so many contributions to our office and all of the University on the Westside. The primary
objective of her internship was to plan, develop, facilitate and assess our annual leadership retreat for our
student leaders. Kjirsten balanced many responsibilities such as logistics development, connecting with
outside partners, troubleshooting challenging situations, developing a quarter long leadership curriculum
for future staff to use with the student leaders, and building trust with student leaders in a short amount of
time. Through experience Kjirsten has learned how to engage student leaders in their leadership
development and using their past experiences to inform their future practice. Kjirsten was able to
accomplish this with grace, pose, and success. She holds strong communication skills, practices effective
time management, leads with her heart, and is very approachable to diverse populations.
There are three areas where Kjirsten shows great promise for her future in student affairs. The first area is
her skill set to be an effective planner. Kjirsten has strong organization skills, which assist her in
developing big picture and detail plans. The second area is her awareness of social justice concepts and
how to implement social justice activism effectively. Kjirsten is knowledgeable of diverse populations,
and she actively wants to learn more. Kjirsten creates experiences for herself and uses her learning within
the means of her job. The third area is her ability to balance challenge and support within herself, as well
as the students and staff she works with. Kjirsten knows when to ask for help and seeks feedback to make
improvements to her work. Kjirsten can work independently as well as collaborate with diverse
populations.
Kjirsten has been an amazing student affairs professional to work with and I am excited for her future.
She has enhanced her skill set and has made a tremendous difference on-campus. I appreciate her hard
work and her drive to constantly find meaning in her internship experiences. Thank you for your time
and energy and best of luck in your future in higher education.
Sincerely,
Ashlee Norris
Associate Director for Westside Student Life for Central Washington University
anorris@cwu.edu
206-419-9717