R.

Scott Cook
Social Studies Teacher, M. Ed., J.D.
Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
1600 Chicon Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 414-8600
russell.cook@austinisd.org

May 18, 2023

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to strongly recommend Isaiah Hernandez for his future endeavors,

including college placement and future employment. Isaiah has been an influential
and immensely positive force at Garza in his time here, excelling in numerous
ways in the classroom and throughout the school. His positive impact at Garza has
been remarkable, will be lasting, and will be dearly missed. Yet, I am excited for
Isaiah’s future, as I look forward to seeing him share his many gifts and unique
abilities in future classrooms, future workplaces, and the world. He is a very
special and outstanding young man!

I have had the pleasure of teaching Isaiah U.S. History, Economics, and
Government during his time at Garza. He received high “A”s in each of these
classes and near perfect scores in Government and Economics. As reflected in his
high grades, Isaiah is an outstanding social studies student and overall student.
He possesses a large amount of historical knowledge; thinks deeply, creatively,
and critically; and has an outstanding memory. Coupled with genuine curiosity and
an ethic of hard work and persistence, his many talents and skills have allowed
him to perform high-level academic work at Garza. Isaiah was consistently willing
to go above and beyond requirements for assignments. I appreciated so much
that he took the time and effort to give his best to his school work, which led to
outstanding results. In recognition of his efforts and results, Isaiah received
several awards during his time at Garza, including a Scholastic Excellence Award
and Trustee Award. He was universally appreciated and admired by the faculty
and staff that had the opportunity to teach him or interact with him.

In addition to excelling academically in the classroom, Isaiah has been a

classroom leader and leader throughout our school. As this leadership made such
a positive impact on his fellow students and our school, I am most proud of Isaiah
for this aspect of his time at Garza. Isaiah is friendly, kind, and welcoming; and he
shared these attributes with his fellow students and the staff here at Garza on a
daily basis. He possesses a good sense of humor, a genuine smile, and an attitude
of daily positivity. He consistently exhibits integrity and sticks to his principles. He
has led in the classroom by working hard and by consistent active and respectful
participation in all aspects of our class. In our frequent classroom discussions,
Isaiah always made significant thoughtful contributions, consistent with his gift to
think deeply and creatively. And he also showed respect and appreciation for his
fellow classmates, even when he disagreed with them or saw things differently.
Put simply, Isaiah’s presence and contributions have made our classroom and
school better and more positive.

Lastly, Isaiah has accomplished all of these achievements while overcoming many
challenges in his life and working many jobs during his time outside of school. He
has done so through hard work, positivity, tenacity, grit, and resilience. At the end
of his time here at Garza, Isaiah will be graduating after completing excellent
academic work and providing so many numerous positive contributions to our
campus.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend Isaiah for his future endeavors, whether in

college, employment, or community involvement. I look forward to hearing about
his future accomplishments, continued growth, and positive contributions. Isaiah
will be missed dearly at our school, but all of us look forward to hearing about all
of the positive things he will do in the future.

Sincerely,

/s/ R. Scott Cook

R. Scott Cook
Social Studies Teacher, Garza Independence High School