Ms. Johnson's goal of establishing a fine arts center in her hometown has remained at the core of her studies during the last year. For example, she enrolled in my Seminar on Arts Advocacy, which helped her understand the process of funding for the arts in our state and nation as a whole. In addition, she traveled to South Carolina and National Arts Advocacy Day with me to meet with elected officials to discuss the impact of the arts on the economy and in education. In addition to developing an understanding how the political and legislative landscape can provide and/or deny access to the arts, she also conducted a research project that demonstrated the possible benefits of including dance education in low-performing schools when she was enrolled in the MeNair Scholars Program. I nominated Ms. Johnson for this program and served as her mentor. Afier completing an extensive research project, Ms. Johnson presented her research at the McNair Symposium at the University of South Carolina and the SAEOPP McNair/SSS Scholars Research Conference in Atlanta, GA. These valuable experiences helped teach Ms. Johnson how a singular point of entry can be continually explored to uncover new possibilities, opportunities, and knowledge. Watching her comprehension of this topic deepen over the past year has been a pleasure to witness. Her work has made me even more confident in her abilities to carry her goals forward into the profession and effect change. Observing how Ms, Johnson applied the skills learned in the Arts Advocacy Seminar I taught last spring to her research agenda encouraged me to ask her to co-present with me at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) National Conference in November. Arts Advocacy is one of my areas of expertise that I focus on in my pedagogy, research, and service. Ms. Johnson’s continuation of the work she leamed in the seminar provided a real-world example of how my integrative pedagogical approach enhanced experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson’s ability to demonstrate professionalism as a representative of Winthrop University at the National Arts Advocacy Day Conference in D.C. and the conferences she participated in as a MeNair Scholar assured me that she would be able to fulfill the responsibilities associated with co-presenting a paper with a faculty member at a national conference. After the presentation at the NDEO conference in Chicago, many of my colleagues complimented Ms. Johnson’s performance in our session. I think all of the experiences discussed above have made Ms. Johnson more prepared for the field than the average undergraduate student. For Ms. Johnson, she has mastered skills that take most individuals years to develop after graduation, After working with Ms. Johnson, I would identify her as an emerging leader whose contributions will be of great service to the field in the upcoming years. Sincerely, Siphon lpi Stephanie L. Milling, Ph.D. Head of Dance Education