May 10, 2013 To Whom It May Concern, I would like to provide a strong academic and character recommendation for

Ashley Emery for a position as a School Guidance Counselor at your school. I say with confidence as the Programs Director for School Counseling at Bridgewater State University (BSU) and as a Licensed School Counselor, Ashley is a dedicated and passionate educator and is excelling in her development and training as a School Counselor. She is a pleasure to work with and I have great hopes for her as she prepares to complete her required Fieldwork experiences beginning Fall 2013. I met Ashley during her initial courses as a part of the Masters program in School Counseling and have served as her instructor for several courses. I have witnessed her academic growth and development at the graduate-level throughout several core school counseling classes, and professional development activities organized by BSU and other professional organizations such as Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA). At BSU, she has maintained a high G.P.A. throughout her program and is always an energetic, enthusiastic contributor in every class. She has a wonderful rapport with her peers and faculty in the department. She has worked efficiently when given individual assignments and also was a great team collaborator when needed. Ashley has applied her higher level critical thinking skills with her practical experiences in the schools and her growing understanding of the Professional School Counselors role ever day. Beyond the classroom, I am proud to say that Ashley was one of the BSU graduate students invited to present at the Spring 2013 MASCA conference as part of the Graduate Student Poster Presentation. I served as her faculty advisor for this experience and can say that this is a competitive part of the conference, and not all proposals are invited to present. Ashleys ideas are practical, relevant and timely for the school counseling community, and I know she will share a professional and well-organized presentation at the upcoming conference. Ashley is being trained in the National and State models for Comprehensive School Counseling programs and will be able to carry-out data-driven curriculums with students, in addition to the wide range of other core school counselor tasks critical for supporting student achievement and success in our 21 st century. Using her coursework performance as a barometer, I anticipate Ashley will excel in her final Fieldwork requirements confirming this is the field she was meant for. If I may be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu or phone (508-531-2640). Sincerely, Theresa A. Coogan, Ph.D., NCC, NCSC Assistant Professor of Counselor Education School Counseling Programs Director Licensed School Counselor