1. FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
3300 College Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066 TELEPHONE (650) 738-4236 WEBSITE www.SkylineCollege.edu
November 10, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
It gives me great pleasure to recommend Michael Mark as an applicant. I have had the pleasure of
working with Michael for over two years at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA. As the Program Services
Coordinator and Scholarship Coordinator for the Financial Aid Office, I am the main point of contact in
charge of developing and implementing outreach programs to ensure access to higher education for
low-income and educationally-disadvantaged students. Michael, a Financial Aid Campus Ambassador
who assists with the outreach efforts, has a positive attitude and is always willing and able to contribute
in a vast capacity of responsibilities.
In the time that Michael has been under my supervision, he has demonstrated dedication, leadership,
and most importantly, reliability. Michael is a major contributor to the success of the financial aid
outreach team. The financial aid application process is often an overwhelming experience for students
and parents. Michael, a financial aid recipient himself, understands that financial aid is more than
money. His concept of thinking is above and beyond just the practical. He is truly aware that many
students face significant financial barriers to college and realizes that accessing financial aid resources
for many students can be the key factor in their pursuit of achieving their career and educational goal.
He is able to adjust his method of interaction with students based on his assessment of their
comprehension of financial aid. Michael is continuously thinking about ways to better serve our
students and has developed a form to help students and parents keep track of their FSA ID information.
A student and parent’s FSA ID is crucial to have record of to complete the financial aid application.
In addition to his primary role as a Financial Aid Campus Ambassador, Michael assists with the weekly
application labs in which he provides direct one-on-one assistance with students and parents during
financial aid application process. During these labs, he is able to create an environment that is
welcoming and comfortable for the students. He demonstrates a thorough knowledge and
understanding of the financial aid program and excellent communication skills when explaining the
information to students. When Michael is not assisting with the application, he is in the Financial Aid
Office working collectively with the team. He continues to show his resourcefulness and creativity in
promoting financial resources to our students, especially when he takes the time to review and make
suggestions about our financial aid website to be more student-friendly.
Michael understands the pressures of working in a highly stressful office which deals with students and
families who come from a wide diversity of economic and ethnic backgrounds. His sincerity and
dedication to help others is what makes him stand out from the rest. He knows the importance of giving
continuing and prospective students accurate information as it relates to the financial aid process.

2. FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
3300 College Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066 TELEPHONE (650) 738-4236 WEBSITE www.SkylineCollege.edu
Michael truly embodies our College’s philosophy of “student first”. As an employee, he is always fully
engaged and willing to learn new skills and tasks. As a student, Michael has utilized many of the
resources on campus. He not only takes the initiative to seek out resources that will help him succeed
academically; but more importantly, he is proactive in obtaining his own success and understands the
importance of learning the skills to become fully self-sufficient. Furthermore, he shares his experiences
about resources during outreach events to current and prospective students. Michael shows an
excellent attentiveness for learning, but he also shows a great potential to be an influential mentor and
leader.
In closing, I highly recommend Michael as an applicant who will be a valuable asset in whatever
endeavor he pursues. His persistence, resilience, and resourcefulness to succeed and make a better life
for him and others around him are to be recognized and applauded. Please feel free to contact me at
(650) 738-4266 if you should have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jenny Yang
Program Services Coordinator
Scholarship Coordinator
Skyline College