November 6, 2008 As an Executive in Residence at American University my focus is exclusively on teaching. I created a course on Social Networking & Business that I’ve now taught to more than 120 students. Kim is one of the students in my current course. I can say, without reservation, that Kim is one of the top 5 students I’ve ever had in this course. While I've only known Kim for a short time, she has left a strong impression on me, Kim is motivated, she is inquisitive, and she is genuinely interested in her learning. Kim is able to think both “big picture” and small details and she demonstrates this in her writing. Kim is blogging every week about reading from the class. She’s quick to make connections between her learning in other classes and the topics at hand. I consider this, an important skill and one that I seldom see demonstrated by undergraduates. She also consistently contributes in class and she brings humor and relevance to the discussion. While Kim is still young, she is “comfortable in her own skin”. I don’t see this very often in undergraduate students, She is confident, she is reflective, she is thoughtful, and she is not afraid to be the first one to contribute to a discussion, Sincerely, Hf Dr. Nicole M. Melander Kogod School of Business American University (former V.P., Oracle Corporation)