1. March 27, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to recommend my student, Samuel Brooks, for employment with your organization. Sam is a
bright, passionate, and hardworking young man, and I believe he would effectively contribute to your mission.
I have known Sam since almost four years ago when he took my course The Global Experience, a first-year
seminar required for all Elon students. Sam demonstrated a keen interest and aptitude in the subject matter. I
was therefore pleased when he signed up for a second course of mine, the upper-level political science course
International Organizations, last spring as a junior. Finally, last summer he enrolled in an independent study
with me in tandem with his Washington Center-linked internship in our nation’s capital, where he worked with
the Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC).
In my classroom experience, Sam was always prepared, frequently took a leading role in discussions, and
submitted original and well-crafted written work, earning a grade of A- in all three courses (to the best of my
recollection: I am writing this letter from my home office while on sabbatical, and my gradebook is at my
campus office. I do recall with certainty that his grade for the independent study was A-). I would confidently
place Sam in the top 20 percent of all students I have taught over the past fifteen years. He is an effective
communicator, both interpersonally and in writing. I was particularly impressed at the independence and
strong work ethic he demonstrated in his SAPAC internship work. Their office would be better positioned than
I would be to describe the yeoman’s work he undertook in overhauling their database of contacts for the Sindhi
American community, therefore improving their outreach. I can speak, however, to the intellectual work he
undertook to learn about Pakistan, its Sindh community, and the ever-complicated U.S.-Pakistan relationship,
in preparation for and throughout the internship. He showed the ability to learn quickly and to think on his feet,
and I was gratified but not surprised when SAPAC chose to publish several of the book reviews he had written
for his study with me in their newsletter for their subscribers.
Even as a freshman, Sam showed wisdom and a passion for truth seeking that seemed beyond his years. I will
always remember a special effort he made, during a class unit on the early 1990s war in Bosnia, to bring a
family member to class to share her personal experiences relating to her close friendship with a war
photographer who suffered serious injuries during the conflict. It was my first indication that I might be in for
something special in having Sam for a student, and he has consistently reaffirmed that impression over the
years.
I do not have any reservations about recommending Sam. I hope you will give carefulconsideration to his
candidacy. Please do not hesitate to contact me at jkirk2@elon.edu if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Kirk
Associate Professor
Political Science