Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies HEALTH ———_— 520 Wokara Way UNIVERSITY OF UTAW Sail Loke Cy, UT8A108 201.585,9135 January 10, 2020 Dear Donna, Tam writing my support for Ms. Allison Qualls to complete her internship at Rocky Mountain MS Center. Allison is one of the hardest working students, with a strong passion for recreational therapy with neurological conditions. I have worked closely with Allison for the past 1.5 years as her lab mentor as, well as her instructor. Allison has generally performed well in her classes that Ihave instructed. She is consistent in the type of ‘course work she submits. She will ask for clarification frequently as well as try to ask thought provoking questions. She hands her assignments in on time; however, she is one who submits very close to the due date time. I do not see this as a problem or a limitation for her to be successful during her internship, something she needs to be aware of especially as it relates to time management. Allison knows her information, She has been able to articulate herself thoughtfully while demonstrating understanding about recreational therapy and the recreational therapy process. Allison does need to build confidence in what she shares, she is aware of this and I have seen her make strides in building her confidence. Based on her performance in my classes, I believe Allison is in the top quarter of her class. She wants to be involved in many things associated with the college environment and strategically chooses extra- and co-curricular activities that will advance her as a student as well as a future recreational therapy professional, She has spent the past two academic years as a member of RT?- Research and Training lab. She contributes to the team. Through this involvement she has grown in her research skills. In particular she has developed how to search the pertinent literature and how to analyze the literature, She is able to synthesize the information and present it to an audience. She with her team members have presented at a state conference, a poster at a national conference, and a session at an international conference. Allison is a strong candidate for an internship with Rocky Mountain MS Center. She really only needs to be told something once then she will fix it (if it was a concern). She us authentic and wants to learn and represent herself well Ifyou have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at melissa.zah@hse.utah. edu or 801.213.1133. Thank you for your consideration of Allison.Sincerely, . Tusa Melissa L Zahl, PhD, MTRS, CTRS Associate Professor Director of Undergraduate Studies- Recreational Therapy 520 Wakara Way, room 330 Salt Lake City, UT 84108