UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA University of California, Merced Center fr Educational Partnerships 550 E Shaw Avenue, Suite 105. Fresno, California 93710-7702, February 15, 2018 ‘To Whom It May Concern: 1 am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Anthony Rocci, 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 modeled after UC Scholars EAOP that promotes and provides access to higher education through academic counseling, higher education workshops, and visits to university/college campuses. Anthony is not in Gateway Scholars but has sought out advising several times since I met him in the fall of 2017, In the short time that I have known him, he has shown himself to be an articulate, kind, and driven young man. He would often times come into my room after school and ask questions regarding the university application process and to review his rough drafts of his UC personal insight questions. He is a gifted writer who credits his late mother for instilling academic rigor and a love of learning. He is a student I know will thrive at the university setting and he would benefit tremendously from scholarship consideration, He and his brother are both seniors and starting college at the same time which has created an increased financial need as their household college costs are now doubled. Anthony will use every scholarship dollar wisely and will invest his time and energy in the completion of his degree. | am tremendously proud of Anthony, of the diligence he puts forth in all that he commits to and the strength of character he possesses. If you have any questions regarding Anthony, please feel free to contact me at any time at (209) 455-0529 or at prarco@ucmerced.edu, Regards, Tadic we Patricia Zarco Sateway Scholars UC Merced Center for Educational Partnerships | Merced High School