April 5, 2018

To Whom it May Concern,

I wish to provide a character reference for Megan Dernberger. I have known Megan since 2014 when
she entered the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV) as a freshman. I have served as
one of her instructors in each of the 7 accelerated classes she has completed at SSMV and I have
recently also served as Megan’s advisor. Megan is driven, intelligent, and organized. She is an
enthusiastic and engaged learner.

The SSMV is a partnership between Vanderbilt University and Metropolitan Nashville Public
Schools. It offers high school students a four-year, interdisciplinary, research-centered learning
experience. Students come to Vanderbilt one day per week where they engage in a curriculum that
connects sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students are responsible for making up
all work that they miss at their core high school each week. Students earn admission following an in-
depth application and interview process. Megan essentially goes to school six days a week and
maintains a busy extra-curricular schedule, including leadership roles at her home high school,
demonstrating her impeccable time-management skills.

In the SSMV classroom, Megan is punctual, prepared, and fully participatory in any activity. She is
always willing to offer a comment or question that shows she is critically thinking about the topic at
hand. She is organized and completes assignments with precision. During her sophomore year, she
worked on a team project to analyze metrics collected during a collegiate basketball game. This
project challenged students to analyze “big data”, a 21st century skill important in this age of
technology. Here, she demonstrated strong teamwork skills. In 11th grade, Megan began working in a
laboratory at Vanderbilt under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Valentine. This internship was challenge
because she had to learn optics and nanoscience, well beyond what is covered in any high school
course. Megan embraced this challenge. She demonstrated a calm, rational approach to problem-
solving and consistently viewed challenges as growth experiences.

Megan has strong communication skills – whether holding a discussion with an instructor or with her
classmates, she is courteous, clear, and confident. Megan is well-respected by her classmates who
have voted her as a class representative for several years. I fully support and endorse Megan for any
endeavor she wishes to pursue; she will contribute richly to any organization.

Sincerely,

Angela Eeds, Ph.D.

Director & Instructor, SSMV