April 26, 2023

Re: Recommendation for Katie Matz

It is my great pleasure to write a letter recommending Katie Matz as a secondary English teacher.
I had the opportunity to work with Katie in my CRW 305: Creative Nonfiction class at West
Chester University. I found her to be one of the most deeply engaged, diligent students I have
ever worked with. She is committed to her writing, supportive of peers, and consistently made
meaningful contributions to the communities she was a part of here at West Chester University
and beyond. From her presentations in class, contributions to peer workshop, and her present
experiences teaching creative writing, I am confident in Katie’s teaching abilities and the ways
she would contribute meaningfully to any school she is a part of.

Katie is extraordinarily dedicated to her studies, highly self-disciplined, and curious about the
world around her. She consistently goes above and beyond in her classes to not only meet
expectations of a prompt but exceed them. For example, in CRW 305, students were given the
opportunity to write an essay in any form of their choosing, that incorporated research in some
way. Katie interviewed a person significant to her topic and incorporated outside research and
images into her piece. The final product, a beautiful multimodal artifact, went above and beyond
the expectations for the final project. I bring this up as an example to say that this moment is not
an exception in regard to Katie’s work ethic; she consistently brings a steady, strong work ethic
to every project she is assigned, completes work promptly, asks valuable questions, and also
approaches her work with flexibility, joy, and creativity. These skills, I have no doubt, will
translate well to her profession as a teacher.

Katie, in addition to being a strong student as an individual, is also dedicated to uplifting peers
through her work. Much of the success of the CRW 305 class I teach is based on student
contributions, as there are many workshop days where students use the information that they
have learned throughout the semester in order to provide meaningful feedback to peers. I can say
without a doubt that Katie was one of the most highly engaged students in our workshop
sessions. Katie consistently left extensive, thoughtfully crafted feedback on peers’ workshop
submissions, contributed to class discussions on a regular basis, and asked questions that moved
our entire cohort deeper into our exploration of the course’s themes. Katie’s ability to create
community through her feedback, questions, and contributions, as well as her current work
experience make me confident that she would bring these same skills to her own classroom,
where she would foster an environment where students felt supported and safe while still being
challenged to grow as writers and learners.

Katie has already started teaching a creative writing class, and it is clear to me that she has
brought the same tenacity, enthusiasm, and creativity from her time as a West Chester University
student to her new role. When she speaks about teaching, she does so with a sense of clear
purpose and hopefulness for the future; she approaches her work with a vigor and care that

West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
inspires me as an educator. I have no doubt that Katie’s love of language, writing, and fostering
curiosity in others would inspire not only students, but also fellow faculty and administrators.
She would positively impact any school

community that she is a part of. Please contact me if you have any questions, and I would be
happy to provide more information.

Best,

Dr. Jacqueline Alnes

Assistant Professor of English, West Chester University
jalnes@wcupa.edu

West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education