April 16, 2014

Dear Portfolio Committee, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of promise for my good friend and colleague, Bopha Cheng. I have known Bopha since our first quarter in the SDA program. We bonded immediately over our mutual experience of pursuing our graduate degree while working full time. I was immediately drawn to Bophas charismatic and caring spirit, which are qualities I continue to value about her. Now, after seeing her grow over the last two years, I have come to appreciate Bophas authentic leadership style, her willingness to learn, and her strong ability to collaborate with others. Since our first class together, I have gotten to know Bopha in a variety of ways. No matter what class we were taking, I was always impressed with her ability to be present and engaged during our class discussions and group work. Bopha is a natural leader, however she is always aware of others, and tends to step back to insure that everyone has a voice when working toward a common goal. Also, Ill never forget when Bopha read a poem for our Multicultural Perspectives course. She spoke so honestly about her family, culture and her experience with privilege and oppression. I feel that Bopha always comes to spaces as her authentic self, and is innately open to learn about the life-experiences of her students and the colleagues she works with. During our time in the SDA program, Bopha and I were both drawn to the mission of the community college. Bopha committed 300 hours of internships at Highline Community College, spending 200 hours developing programming in the Center for Leadership and Service. I was truly impressed with Bophas ability to dive head first into program development in a new environment. Bophas willingness to learn resulted in her transformation of becoming a strong, and motivational leader, as well as her newfound interest in wanting to improve the larger systems that support student growth. Also, Bopha is not afraid to challenge herself. Half-way through our graduate program, she made the decision to leave her full time job and take on a new role at South Seattle Community College. From our many discussions about her time at South, I have come to learn that Bopha thrives in environments where she can use her strong intrapersonal communication skills to build bridges between departments and collaborate for campus change. I feel strongly that Bophas values of authenticity, appreciation of diversity, and her commitment to social justice align well with the values of the community college. In addition to her professionalism, I have come to know Bopha personally. Bopha has made an eternal promise to herself to be a balanced and well-rounded individual. She has an amazing ability to see the important things in life, and is able to prioritize so that she is giving her whole self to every space and relationship she enters. I know that my time in the SDA program would not have been the same without Bopha by my side. She is a valuable asset to any institution, and I look forward to seeing her leadership make a positive impact at her next institution. Sincerely,

Anna Renzetti