UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

BERKELEY DAVIS IRVINE LOS ANGELES MERCED RIVERSIDE SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED

SANTA BARBARA SANTA CRUZ

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

550 EAST SHAW AVENUE, SUITE 105
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 93710-7702

September 9, 2014
It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Miriam Ceballos who is applying for a position with the
Mini Corps at California State University, Fresno. Ms. Ceballos worked for the UC Merced Center for
Educational Partnerships (CEP) as a Learning Assistant in Summer of 2013 and 2014.
As part of her Learning Assistant role Ms. Ceballos provided academic support in Math, English, Science, and
Spanish Language to a cohort of approximately 75 high school students. Ms. Ceballos was responsible for
assisting the classroom teacher with small group instruction. Additionally, she was in charge of monitoring the
tutoring room as well as tracking tutorial hours/assignments and entering them into a database. Given that Ms.
Ceballos demonstrated excellent leadership skills as a tutor in Summer 2013, she selected to return again in the
summer of 2014. Ms. Ceballos responsibilities included ensuring that all students were accounted for, and that
their homework was completed for the next day. In addition Ms. Ceballoss important role included developing
and implementing inclusive and interactive activities for her group of students. Furthermore, she served as a
mentor, counselor and referral agent; establishing and enforcing behavioral standards; facilitating communication;
and participated in daily staff meetings with program advisors and directors.
Ms. Ceballos is a very organized, task-oriented, critical thinker who takes initiative. She ensures that all her
students receive the necessary services to be better prepared for class tests and projects. She works well with
others by considering multiple points of views, requesting feedback and demonstrating excellent communication
skills with colleagues and school partners. Ms. Ceballos has also demonstrated that she can work well under
pressure by successfully handling high stress situations such as student misconduct and parent concerns.
The majority of the students that Ms. Ceballos serviced were of low socioeconomic background and/or potential
first-generation college students. Her strong work ethic and dedication to Upward Bound allowed her to set a
great example and establish a strong connection with the students she served. Students truly enjoyed having Ms.
Ceballos as a learning assistant and were able to connect well with her. Her personality, encouraging words and
ability to motivate students made a significant impact in their lives. She is hard working, responsible, flexible, and
understanding and always has a positive attitude.
Ms. Ceballos professional experience combined with her personal background make her a great candidate for
your program. She is excellent at coping with challenging situations and has become a critical resource to the
students/parents and school partners that she serviced. I have no doubt that her extensive experience in serving
low-income students will contribute greatly to your institution. If needed, I can be reached at (559) 201-3978.

Sincerely,

Marlyn Gmez, Director

Upward Bound Program