April 8, 2022

Letter of Recommendation for Whitney Lawrence Williams

This spring Whitney is finishing her journey with the Reading, Literacy, and
Learning Master’s Degree program at Longwood University, and we will be sad to see her
go. Right out of the gate it was clear that Whitney is a vibrant, passionate, inquisitive, and
thoughtful educator. She has demonstrated this through her consistently high engagement,
insightful questions, rich contributions to conversations in class, and exemplary work.

Whitney’s excellence as a graduate student has made it an honor to be her professor.

She is the type of student we all hope for: focused, driven, diligent, and reflective. Prowess is
the word that consistently comes to mind when I think of Whitney’s work. She is a deep
thinker, which allows her to see meaningful connections and practical applications. In our
Content Area Learning course, she created a presentation that synthesized theory, research,
and practice to highlight how literacy engagement is key to deep learning in disciplinary
areas. One aspect that shined was her ability to weave in powerful quotes to carry the
learner through the presentation while delivering the power of her main points and inviting
the construction of connections. This, and so much of her work, is professional
development worthy.

In addition to Whitney’s expertise as a literacy educator, she has a calling as a

literacy leader. She has the dispositions of a leader who is able to respectfully meet people
where they are, inspire growth, and set attainable goals that keep people moving toward
high-expectations and greatness. Whitney is poised to both uplift her colleagues in the
challenging times we find ourselves in, and to lead by example through her ability to seek,
have, and hold powerful visions of the future for her learners. She has demonstrated these
dispositions at all levels, such as serving on the College of Education and Human Services
Dean’s Advisory Committee (wherein the Dean specifically sought me out to thank me for
nominating Whitney because her contributions to the group were so insightful and
relevant), collaborating with colleagues to bring her learning to her school, and, best of all,
connecting with students to guide the steps that will lead them to successful, engaged
literacy lives.

Whitney is a true citizen leader and professional leader. There is no doubt we will
always be proud she is a Lancer, and that she will always prove to be an asset wherever her
path in education takes her.

Sincerely,

Angelica D. Blanchette, Ed.D.

Associate Professor of Education
Reading, Literacy, and Learning Graduate Program
Chair, Graduate Council
Longwood University
Pronouns: she/her/hers