UN#VERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY « DAVIS + IRVINE - LOS ANGELES = MERCED - RIVERSIDE - SAN DIEGO » SAN FRANCISCO University of California, Merced Center for Educational Partnerships ‘550 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 105 Fresno, California 93710-7702 April 7, 2017 ‘To Whom It May Concern: 1 am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Celina Perez, a senior at Merced High School. I am the Gateway Scholars Program Coordinator and began working with students at MHS in November 2015. The Gateway Scholars Program is an academic outreach program that promotes and provides access to higher education through academic counseling, higher education workshops, and visits to university/college campuses. Celina is one of my most active participants in Gateway Scholars. When I recruited Celina in her junior year, she was a student who was ready, willing, and able to demonstrate her desire to continue education after high school. The dynamic of an adviser to a student is a unique one, I can only assist students who ‘meet me in the middle’, those who vocalize their questions and concerns so that I can provide resources and information to dispel fear and provide clarity to a process that can be described as overwhelming. Celina epitomizes a student who is steadfast in her post-secondary process, articulates her questions/concerns, and is one of the kindest, most polite students in a cohort of fifty-two seniors. It has been an honor serving as her academic adviser. Thave no doubt Celina will excel in any endeavor she chooses; I am immensely proud of the work Celina has done to ensure her academic dreams become a reality. If you have any questions regarding Celina, please feel free to contact me at any time at (559) 241-7476 or at pzarco@ucmerced.edu. Regards, WKdracial rarer Patricia Zarco Gateway Scholars Program Director, Merced High School UC Merced Center for Educational Partnerships 550 E Shaw Ave, Suite 105 Fresno, Ca. 93710