February 12, 2016 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Re-entry Admission Dear Admission Committee:

I am pleased to write this letter on behalf of Michael Neal as he petitions to be readmitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I’ve had the pleasure of supervising Michael as a student worker these past six months at the Office of Student Life at College of DuPage (COD). The first time I met Michael was when he came to the Office of Student Life to get his student ID card where he also inquired about our student clubs and organizations on campus. He was very interested in learning more about student involvement opportunities as he shared that he was previously involved in such organizations before he transferred from UIUC. It was the first day of our New Student Orientation that was being held over the course of three days so I encouraged him to do an on-site registration for one of the remaining days. Michael came back the next afternoon after attending the sessions and was very excited to find out various opportunities including an opening student worker position in our office. He applied for the position and interviewed among a handful of other candidates. Michael’s determination, initiative and leadership experience stood out the most among the other candidates.

Michael is a team player and a great addition to our Student Life staff. He is very personable and a great resource for other students looking to get involved around campus. Soon after working at the Office of Student Life, Michael connected with other student leaders on campus to learn about the different clubs and organizations and found his passion for debating with our Forensics team. This past semester, Michael competed with other colleges as a team and individually. He even won and placed during these competitions. He is a valued member of our nationally ranked Forensics team and I am very proud to see how much he’s grown these past few months. Michael’s diligence and work ethics are valuable qualities that I rarely see in a lot of students I’ve worked with in the past few years. He is wise beyond his years and determined to accomplish his personal goals. Being readmitted back to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is another step towards his personal, educational, and career goals. He will truly be missed in our office and at COD, but we are certainly proud to see how far he’s come and the impact he’s made in the short time he was able to spend with us. Sincerely, Gaea Atta College of DuPage Office of Student Life Front Desk Supervisor attag@cod.edu 630-942-3920