Amanda Martinez

Resident Director
1032 W Sheridan Rd | Chicago, Illinois 60660
p (773) 508-3338
amartinez25@luc.edu

March 24, 2015

To whom it may concern,

It is with excitement and pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Jonathan Merrill. I
have worked with Jonathan for the past 2 years at Loyola University of Chicago in the Department of
Residence Life. It is with great confidence that I say that Jonathan has been one of the most
impressive graduate students that I have ever worked with and know that he will go on to do amazing
things in our field.
Jonathan has shown a great ability to not only work within ambiguity and change but also embrace the
challenges thrown at him with grace and positivity. In Jonathans first year he was given the challenge
of not only being co-supervised by two very different Resident Directors but also tasked with helping
bring online a new residence hall and build a foundation for future staffs to utilize in running the
building. He never shied away from handling a difficult issue and as his supervisor I was constantly
impressed with his ability to reach out and find projects that he could take over and not only complete
but complete with the highest of quality. During his second year, Jonathan demonstrated an even
greater ability to handle change and ambiguity when he suddenly had to adjust to a new supervisor
after his old one changed positions. Jonathan responded with taking on more responsibility, including
running an entire building by himself, to help support the resident director who was asked to take over
the area.
One area that always made Jonathan stand out to me is his innate ability to push his students to grow
and develop in terms of social justice and diversity. Jonathan constantly showed intentionality when
having one on one meetings with his students and pushed them out of their comfort zone to learn more
about themselves and the world around them. I would constantly see Jonathan making notes on how
he could have these developmental conversations in the future and how to broach the subject in a way
that would connect to the student. Speaking with a student that Jonathan supervised previously, she
stated that the meetings when he would challenge her to go deeper in her reflection of her identities
and other social justice issues were the meetings she valued most. Jonathan has also shown
phenomenal growth in his ability to balance a students needs with accountability. During judicial and
disciplinary meetings, Jonathan ensures that a student not only is held accountable for their actions but
also has the support they need to avoid actions in the future and grow from the process.
Finally, I have always appreciated Jonathans enthusiastic and welcoming personality. He brings so
much fun and energy in to any staff that he joins and does so in an authentic way. A person leaves a
conversation with Jonathan knowing that he has truly listened to them and has a genuine interest in
what they have to say. Overall, I can say with certainty that Jonathan is going to move on to his next
venture with great success and any department that he joins is extremely lucky to have him on their
team.
Sincerely,
Amanda Martinez
Resident Director Campion Hall
Loyola University Chicago, Department of Residence Life