PEPPERDINE

UNIVERSITY

Seaver College
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & LANGUAGES DIVISION




December 23, 2017

Education Office
Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles
6300 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 830
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Dear Language and Culture Assistants Program Advisors:

It is truly a pleasure to recommend Ms. Jessica Reed for the position of North
American Language and Culture Assistant in Spain. I have known Ms. Reed for
approximately one year. She was a student in my intermediate Spanish course and
in my upper-division Hispanic culture course. She is a brilliant student with a
warm and caring demeanor. I can say with confidence that Ms. Reed will be an
outstanding ambassador between the peoples of Spain and the U.S. I will elaborate
on the following of Ms. Reed’s qualifications: her prior experience as a student in
Spain and Italy, her commitment to service, and her academic and personal
excellence.

Ms. Reed has significant experience living and studying in Madrid, Spain, and in
Florence, Italy, through Pepperdine International Programs. In Madrid, Ms. Reed
was in a Spanish immersion program in which she lived with a host family and
spoke only Spanish for the duration of the two-month program. In Florence, Ms.
Reed took courses in Italian and religion and studied Italian and European history
through group and independent excursions. Both experiences demonstrate Ms.
Reed's intercultural competency and maturity.

Ms. Reed is committed to serving others and has demonstrated that during her
entire career at Pepperdine. Through the Pepperdine Volunteer Center, she has
worked with Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-A-Highway, and Standing on Stone, an
important outreach program for the homeless that includes weekly homemade
dinners in Malibu. These projects attest to Ms. Reed's longstanding commitment
to serving others. Her interpersonal skills developed through service will be
immediately transferable to her position as a Language and Culture Assistant in
Spain.

24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90263-7446Ÿ310-506-7446ŸFax: 310-506-7518

 PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

Seaver College
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & LANGUAGES DIVISION

Ms. Reed is the currently a member of Sigma Delta Pi, La Sociedad Nacional
Honoraria Hispánica, which admits only the top students of the Spanish language
in the University. Additionally, she is a recipient of various academic awards and
scholarships, as her dossier confirms. From a classroom perspective, her academic
and personal attributes are even more impressive. Ms. Reed has excellent oral and
written communication. She is always careful and clear in her speaking and
writing, both in English and Spanish. From E-mail correspondence to formal
presentations and papers, she is able to manage either language with precision.
Ms. Reed converses and writes adeptly in both English and Spanish in social
situations and in dealing with abstract or complex topics. Ms. Reed's personal
demeanor is warm and engaging, approachable, and enthusiastic. She is known by
both students and faculty at Pepperdine for her indomitable positive attitude and
contagious smile.

I have no doubt that Ms. Reed will be successful as a Language and Culture
Assistant based on her intellectual abilities, her personal demeanor, and her
experience in service to others and living abroad. I recommend wholeheartedly
and without any reservation that Ms. Reed be selected as a Language and Culture
Assistant in Spain. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Very truly yours,

Lila McDowell Carlsen, PhD

Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies
Coordinator of Hispanic Studies
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263-7446

E-mail: lila.carlsen@pepperdine.edu
Phone: 310.506.4215

24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90263-7446Ÿ310-506-7446ŸFax: 310-506-7518