October 18, 2018

Greetings to the Student Development Administration Program:

As the College Access & Success Manager of Summer Search Seattle, I had the privilege of
serving as the internship supervisor for Julius Palaroan (2018 Summer Search Fellow), where he
successfully completed a summer 200-hour college access and success internship at our site.
During my interview with Julius, it was evident that he wanted a meaningful internship
experience that allowed him to engage with first-generation college students and students of
color as it relates to college access and success. It was also refreshing to see that Julius was
intentionally seeking a work environment that reflected diversity, addressed systemic
inequities, and allowed space for evaluation and innovation. The amount of initiative,
authenticity, and direct service that Julius contributed to our Summer Search program has
continued to be an asset to our team. Specifically, Julius was instrumental in successfully
completing the following initiatives with our Summer Search site:

1) Lead and facilitated programming for our annual Rites of Passage Event (college
matriculation event for graduating high school students)
2) Served as College Success Lead during and after “Senior Launch” meetings for C/O
2018 high school graduates, supporting with post-secondary matriculation
3) Updated college partnership admission data for our College Access program for 27
Summer Search partner colleges via CLYPSO
4) Researched and designed foundational components of the Summer Search Campus
Ambassador Program
5) Completed letter of recommendation templates for each mentor with students in
the C/O 2019
6) In addition to the 5 internship initiatives above, Julius also co-facilitated our July
Seattle Exploring Equity Dialogues (SEED) with our Senior Program Director, focusing
on best practices in serving students in the LGBTQ community

I believe that Julius has great promise in college access/success in both post-secondary
education and non-profit settings. He embraces new tasks or projects with a positive attitude, is
transparent around his capacity to support /collaborate with staff and will offer valuable candor
and feedback. In the beginning of his internship, Julius took the time he needed to adjust to the
nature of our fast-paced and highly collaborative non-profit setting, which highlights his
strength in adaptability. Within my weekly check ins with Julius, I appreciated the honest
conversations and reflections that we discussed around systemic inequities that affect first
generation and students of color (i.e. FAFSA/WASFA process, financial aid verification, lack of
ethnic representation on college campuses, etc.). Moreover, I greatly valued the level of
initiative and engagement that Julius exuded not only during, but before his summer internship
experience. In the spring, our Sophomore Orientation Workshop, Luncheon, and Spring Event
were optional events that Julius was invited to attend. His commitment to participate with our
staff in the programming, photography, registration, and many other tasks greatly supported
our team and demonstrated his strength in initiative. Moreover, Julius was able to engage with
our donor community, class of 2018 high school graduates, and received a head start on
integrating into our organization, all while gaining much deserved internship hours.
Julius has also shown social emotional capacity and empathy to hold a safe space for students. For
example, during a Senior Launch meeting, Julius shared his experience in sitting with the student and
their mentor(s) in a moment of grief when the student disclosed their fear around their immigration
status and financial aid. In our check in, Julius shared how real and heavy that moment was for the
student and staff in the room, as well as how he would approach providing a safe space and container
for students pursuing college access and dealing with invasive financial aid verification practices.

While Julius thrived in many areas of his internship, I would like to highlight one of Julius’ significant
moments of impact. Julius did valuable literature research and designed foundational components for
our campus ambassador program which intends to have Summer Search college upper classman mentor
freshmen year Summer Search college students at two college campuses in WA state. The culmination
of this project led to a presentation of Julius’ literature findings, relevant student development theory
(i.e. Astin’s Theory of Involvement, Tinto’s Model of Retention, and Yosso’s Community Cultural
Wealth), program recommendations, and outreach surveys to recruit Summer Search college upper
classmen. All of this was work was completed within a 2-week time frame, which speaks volumes to
level of initiative and depth that Julius brings to his work. Our Senior Program Director and I plan to
submit Julius’s findings to our national office to support our national re-design of our College Success
Program.

With respect to the Seattle University Student Development Administration Learning Outcomes, I have
witnessed Julius show professional promise in the following outcomes:

1) Understanding students and student issues

2) Utilizing assessment, evaluation, technology, and research to improve practice
3) Adapting student services to specific environments and cultures [and populations]
4) Understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and government
5) Establishing and enhancing professional identity

Whether Julius was supporting high school graduates with college matriculation, holding space with
students regarding systemic inequities, researching literature and relevant student development theory
for program design, co-facilitating a SEED dialogue for staff, leading an event, partnering with students
in navigating the IRS process with college financial aid verification, providing valuable programmatic
feedback, and/or collaborating with our team on various projects, he has certainly left his mark at our
organization. As Julius continues to cultivate his professional identity, I would like to see him harness his
strength of initiative by sharing more of his voice during national, staff, program, or any variations of
meetings. I believe organizations could gain even more valuable feedback from Julius volunteering his
point of view in those settings. Additionally, I would share that any opportunities for Julius to lead an
event or facilitate a workshop will positively contribute to his professional development.

It is evident that Julius has the capacity to take initiative, hold safe space for students, successfully
provide direct service to students, acknowledge systemic inequities, self-reflect on his identity as a
professional, and adapt to new settings and responsibilities. It is for these reasons that I believe Julius
Palaroan has tremendous promise as a professional in Student Development Administration whether in
post-secondary education or the non-profit sector. If you have any questions regarding this
recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With Great Excitement,

Therese Williams
College Access & Success Manager
Summer Search Seattle