1. June 1, 2016
RE: Letter of Reference for Laura Colorado Valencia
To Whom It May Concern,
Laura Colorado Valencia has been our au pair for almost one year - from July 2015 through today -
and in this role she cares for our three kids – my 10 year old son, 7 year old daughter and 6 year
old son.
Laura is an incredibly smart, kind and caring person. She has excellent judgment, strong
organizational skills and is entirely trustworthy. She has a very positive outlook, and she works
very hard. I have repeatedly gotten incredibly positive unsolicited feedback from friends and
strangers sharing their observations of Laura with our kids when I am not present – that she is
engaging them directly, that she is appropriately disciplining them when necessary with a firm but
gentle demeanor, that she is reading and singing songs with them all of the time, etc. Laura has
done so much for our kids and our family – including but not limited to:
 Driving the kids to/from school, playdates and other activities;
 Preparing lunches and other snacks/meals for the kids;
 Doing all of the kids laundry every week; and
 Engaging the kids in age-appropriate activities whether that be reading, singing, doing arts
and crafts projects, going to nearby parks and playing outside or coming up with other
creative ideas.
I know I can trust Laura with any task big or small. She carries herself with confidence and is
committed to doing a great job. She brings an optimistic attitude to work every day. Laura is truly
a professional, our kids absolutely adore her, and we will all miss her when she moves on to her
next chapter.
She is very excited about the possibility of interning at the OAS. As someone familiar with the
work of the Organization of American States, my husband Raj Shah (the former Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development - USAID) and I are confident that any
organization Laura joins will benefit greatly from her many skills and talents.
Please do not hesitate to be in touch if you have any additional questions about Laura Colorado
Valencia.
Sincerely,
ShivamMallickShah
Shivam Mallick Shah
Washington, DC
Shivam.Mallick.Shah@gmail.com
206.310.0991