This letter recommends Victor Shaw for an opportunity. It describes Victor as an excellent student who was responsible, hard-working, and dedicated in his chemistry course. Victor utilized tutoring resources and study groups to succeed. The letter also highlights Victor's leadership roles in the Engineering Tech club and as a STEM Ambassador, where he helped promote STEM and guide younger students. The letter concludes by praising Victor as a thoughtful, hard-working individual who will strive for his goals and serve his community.

1. February 7, 2017
To whom it may concern;
I am pleased to write a letter on Victor Shaw’s behalf. I have known Victor as a student
in my General Chemistry course (CHEM-026) and as an active member of the STEM
community at Los Medanos College for over years (since the Spring 2016 semester). I
have found him to be an excellent student, wonderful example for his peers, and hard
working.
Victor is a very responsible student. I cannot recall a time that he missed lab, lecture, or
an assignment deadline. Chemistry is a difficult topic for many and often a student will
underestimate the time and dedication required to succeed. This is not the case with
Mr. Shaw. From the first day of class, he was eager to learn and willing to commit the
time necessary to succeed. In addition to spending time studying on his own, Victor
utilized the resources available to him- I often saw him working with tutors in the
Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) Center and Math Lab, he
arranged study groups with his classmates, and he frequented office hours to get a
more in-depth understanding of the material being covered. I feel that this dedication
and his success in my course, nearly earning an A (86 %) despite a several semester gap
in his chemistry courses, speaks to his willingness to work hard for the grades he
needed to transfer to a prestigious institution, San Jose State University, and be a
competitive applicant for internships.
Victor was an amazing addition to the Los Medanos College community, and
exemplified the qualities of the leaders we are trying to foster and that would be an
amazing addition to your program. After finding his love for engineering, Victor has
been extremely successful in his academic career to become the Mechanical Engineer he
wants to be, and just as importantly is a role model to younger students interested in a
STEM career as a STEM Ambassador, member of the Engineering Tech (ET) club, and
star MESA student.
Mr. Shaw was a founding member of the Engineering Tech (ET) club at Los Medanos
College. Last year, in their first year as a club at Los Medanos College, the ET club
submitted a proposal for and was awarded a competitive spot in the NASA MICRO-g
Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams (NExT) challenge. The MICRO-g NExT
program gives selected undergraduate students the opportunity to design, build, and
test a prototype in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in
Houston of a tool intended to collect a sample from an asteroid without disturbing the
material inside. I was fortunate to work with Victor and a few other ET members to
anodize components of their tool to improve underwater visibility while working with

2. their tool. In this work I was pleased with their troubleshooting skills and
determination. In addition to designing and building their prototype, the club, of mostly
financially disadvantaged students, has maintained their original mission of promoting
a “community of engineering and science majors” at Los Medanos College with outreach
events on campus and at local schools.
Victor was a STEM Ambassador at Los Medanos College, a program that promotes
diversity in STEM by strengthening the high school student pipeline to Los Medanos
College. As an Ambassador Victor, along with a group of his peers, coordinated and held
a workshop for new and incoming engineering major students at Los Medanos. In
addition to sharing the exciting work that was being done with the ET Club, Victor and
his peers worked with the younger students on educational pathways, prerequisites,
transfer requirements, and courses to take. The educational path of engineering major
is very demanding and vastly different than the majority of liberal arts majors at Los
Medanos College. Helping young students arm themselves with a clear education plan
will help these young students stay on path and not take unnecessary courses.
While maintaining his grades and commitment to the ET Club Victor also maintained off
campus employment as a Welder Fabricator with Kirks Welding and Danworth
Manufacturing. In these positions Victor has learned skills that simply can’t be taught in
a classroom or lab that will help him become the engineer he so deeply wants to
become.
Victor is a thoughtful person and a hard worker. I am honored to have worked with him
and know he will be a great addition to your team. I have no doubt that Mr. Shaw will
strive with great vigor and determination to continue his education, to reach his future
goals, and to provide innovative and inspiring service to his community.
Sincerely,
Melinda Capes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Physical Science Department
MESA Faculty Advisor
Los Medanos College
mcapes@losmedanos.edu
2700 E. Leland Rd.
Pittsburg, CA 94565