1. 800 West University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058-5999  Telephone 801 863-8351, Facsimile 801 863-7013
January 18, 2017
To whom it may concern:
I would like to recommend to you Thomas Hone, one of my best students at Utah Valley
University (UVU) for consideration for this position.
I have known Thomas since 2011, while he was enrolled in several of my classes related to
International Relations and Global Politics, the Middle East, and Islam. He distinguished
himself as a serious and mature individual, always determined to accomplish assignments and
tasks right on time and with a great quality. In addition, he has shown himself as thirsty and
curious for knowledge student, able to be the best in all my subjects taught and the ones about
the Middle East in particular, as it is evident by his grades. Thomas also has shown that he is
not only being able to participate in class discussion, but to facilitate it as well.
Thomas has shown the ability to balance a competitive school agenda with a demanding work
schedule and taking care of his family issues. I am glad in particular, that he has contributed to
various extra curriculum activities and especially to the promotion of sustainable mountain
development (SMD) - agenda of the United Nations in the state of Utah and North America.
As a part of the assignment during class on Globalization and Sustainable Mountain
Development, Thomas has been involved in research on particular areas of the SMD-agenda,
and wrote a well thought and researched paper, which was included in the UVU journal for
student’s research papers “Youth and the Mountains,” published in the fall 2013. The journal
was presented at the Fourth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership (MP), a subunit of
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN) in Erzurum, Turkey
in September 2013 (see:
http://www.mountainpartnership.org/fileadmin/user_upload/mountain_partnership/docs/P2P%
20Oct%202013.pdf). In addition, he contributed to hosting the Utah High Schools Essay
Writing Contest and Workshop with writing essays on topics of sustainable energy, in support
of the declared by the U.N. 2012 as the Year of Sustainable Energy for all. Those events are
hosted by UVU students annually as gatherings to raise a new generation of leaders in SMD in
the State of Utah and reported to FAO-UN as well.
Most recently, Thomas has contributed to the successful hosting the Fourth International
Women of the Mountains Conference (WOMC) under the umbrella of the MP and FAO-UN in
Orem, Utah on October 7-9, 2015. For the first time ever such a high level UN forum was
hosted as part of the experiential learning initiative through the efforts of students only and the
Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at UVU in particular.
Thomas was able to write, apply and receive a grant as part of fundraising efforts students in
hosting the conference.
History & Political Science

2. 800 West University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058-5999  Telephone 801 863-8351, Facsimile 801 863-7013
As another great contribution to the conference success, he hosted, Susan Griffith, wife of the
Judge Thomas Griffith, one of the keynote speakers at the conference. During this time, he
also set up and facilitated a meeting between Judge Griffith and students interested in learning
more about law school, the judicial system, and the US Constitution. The United Nations
Secretary Generals’ Report on SMD A/71 /256 from 29 July, 2016 for the first time
highlighted members of the UIMF for hosting the WOMC as major grass-roots forum to
promote SMD in North America and for major contribution to the implementation of the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in part related to the mountains. (see
http://www.womenofthemountains.org/docs/2015/report-of-the-sg-on-sustainable-mountain-
development-2016-sum.pdf). UVU was the only university from North America featured by
this important UN document. This happened thanks to professionalism, passion, and
dedication to the improvement of livelihoods of mountain communities in North America and
around the world from a student team at UVU and from Thomas Hone in particular.
I am confident, that Thomas Hone as one of my best students will use his talents to better the
world around him, and I know he will be able to bring many benefits to your organization as
well.
I’ll be glad to answer to any questions related to the content of the recommendation letter or
my relationships with Thomas Hone at Utah Valley University.
Sincerely,
Baktybek Abdrisaev, Ph.D.
Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic
to the United States and Canada (1997-2005)
Distinguished Visiting Professor
History & Political Science Department
Focal Point (coordinator)
Mountain Partnership
Utah Valley University
E-mail: abdrisba@uvu.edu