January 30, 2020

To whom it may concern,

My name is Amanda Gillespie; I am currently a teacher, SCA adviser, and the Step Team sponsor
at Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I am writing to you today on behalf of one of my
students Eric Michals. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Eric over the past three years, through
his service to the school, as his teacher, and SCA adviser. In the time that I have known him, Eric has
always demonstrated strong moral character and a commitment to be a leader both in class and out,
therefore I am more than happy to recommend him for the Diane D. Anderson Scholarship.

I first met Eric when he took my Financial Management class his sophomore year. This class was
the first place I witnessed Eric’s leadership and work ethic. Eric excelled in this class and got a near
perfect score on his certification exam. Eric’s mastery of the content and kindness to others made him a
perfect student to lead group reviews in class while I worked with students who struggled with the
material. The next year I personally saw Eric’s leadership skills outside of the classroom when he
co-chaired a joint candy-gram fundraiser between the Senior Class Advisory Board and Future Business
Leaders of America. From planning and advertising the fundraiser to selling and distributing the actual
candy grams, Eric dedicated countless hours on this project. I have always considered Eric to be a
student full of integrity with a strong work ethic, and his senior year has more than solidified that. I
have worked more closely to Eric his senior year as his SCA adviser for the Executive Board, overseeing
him on multiple projects. One of his standout achievements was orchestrating the Parent Night Out
Fundraiser, which required weeks of planning and preparation. We had limited time the day of the event
to set up, but Eric’s prep work was so thorough that the set-up and event itself went on without a single
problem. As a member of the SCA Executive Board, Eric serves on the Student Involvement Committee,
together with the other members they have greatly increased participation from General Assembly and
providing the members with a voice.

Throughout his high-school career Eric has demonstrated a superior work ethic and his service
to the school has been invaluable. Eric is an extremely reliable student, as is expected from someone
who holds as many leadership positions as he does, so the thing that really sets him apart from others in
these positions is his ability to see the big picture and delegate tasks to get a job done. It has been an
honor to see Eric grow through the years and lead others on his mission of serving and improving the
school. Eric is more than deserving of the Diane D. Anderson Scholarship, he leads others with kindness,
and respect, he betters his school and community through endless service, and he epitomizes integrity.

Sincerely,

Amanda Gillespie

amgilles@vbschools.com

(757) 633-7845