April 8, 2015

Dear Portfolio Committee,

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write a letter of promise for my classmate,
colleague, and friend Tiff Hayes. Tiff and I were connected prior to us beginning the Student
Development Administration program in September 2013 because I work with her partner
at the University of Washington. I had heard such great things about her even before I met
her that I was not only excited to begin the SDA program together, but I had a feeling that
we would become fast friends.
Particularly in our first year in the SDA program, we had many classes together which gave
me the chance to get to know her as a professional and as a friend. We quickly became
study buddies and provided each other feedback and help through our first quarter of
graduate school. Tiff has excellent study habits and always has positive and insightful
contributions to make in the classes that we have taken together. We also had the
opportunity to take our Capstone course together and have been each others cheerleaders
and a source of support during the cumbersome job search process.
Aside from classes, we have had the opportunity to work on several groups and committees
together. Last year, we co-led the Graduation Celebration Committee for the SDA class of
2014 and co-hosted the event together as well. We have also both had the pleasure to serve
on the executive team for SUSDA this academic year with Tiff serving as the Internship &
Networking Chair. We have used our roles in SUSDA to collaborate on a variety of
initiatives and projects including co-chairing the Graduation Celebration for our graduating
class. Tiff has displayed phenomenal leadership in these collaborative efforts.
With regards to Tiff as a professional in the higher education field, if I could describe her, I
would say that first and foremost, she cares deeply about the students that she serves. She
is very student-centric and not only looks to help students solve a problem or get an
answer, but to really challenge them to grow while she is working with them. She also
brings such an infectious energy to everything she does. She exudes passion and we cant
help but get excited about the work we do when Tiff is around.
Tiffs wide breadth of knowledge about student development is also something that I
admire. I have looked up to her knowing that she had several years of professional practice
under her belt before starting graduate school. Having an understanding of the field from a
pragmatic sense and removed from academia has given Tiff a great deal of perspective,
which I very much respect. Particularly when I have a question about community colleges,
student activities, etc. I know that Tiff will have an answer because of her professional
experience and knowledge.
Above all else, our differences, both professionally and socially, are probably what I
appreciate the most about Tiff. She is far more outgoing than me; she loves social
gatherings, large student conferences, and any opportunity to network with her peers.
While I would consider myself more reserved in these types of situations, Tiff has

challenged me to expand my horizons and as a result has pushed me to become a better

professional. For example, when I articulated my reluctance to network to her, she was
quick to explain all of the benefits that networking could provide and even gave me tips on
how to begin networking with both colleagues at the institution where I work and
professionals at Seattle U. Her push to begin networking is something that I probably
havent properly thanked her for, but this is the perfect illustration of what a great
colleague she is. Tiff has challenged and inspired me to be a better version of myself, which
is all I can ask for in a friend and colleague, and I am so grateful that she has been this
person for me while in our graduate program.
I am confident that Tiff has displayed her ability to be an excellent student affairs
professional both prior to being in the SDA program and during her time at Seattle
University. I know that Tiff is someone that I will call a friend for a long time and am so
thankful that our paths crossed in graduate school. I look forward to following her career
because I know that she is going to set the world on fire as she continues to develop and
grow.
Sincerely,

Alexa Forster
Alexa Forster
M. Ed Candidate, Student Development Administration
Class of 2015