February 28, 2017

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to offer my enthusiastic support for Kirsten Aranas as an emerging leader and rising
star in the field of student affairs. In my capacity as Assistant Director of the Center for Student
Involvement, and as Kirstens supervisor for the past year, I have seen her embrace a personal
and informed approach to her work with students. In that time, Kirsten has developed as a
highly-competent professional and adept student advisor and supervisor. I truly believe Kirsten
will make an important impact in our field through her continued work with students.

This year Kirsten co-advised SUs Student Events and Activities Council (SEAC) and Seattle
University Dance Marathon (SUDM). Her advisement is well-regarded by students because of
her professionalism, positive approach to challenge, and deep engagement. Kirsten is skilled at
asking good open-ended questions which prompt profound understanding and help students
propel their programs to success. This skill proved vital to the successful mediation of an
interpersonal conflict in one group and helped me understand it as one of Kirstens many
strengths. Additionally, I am impressed with her level of organization, initiative, and thoughtful
follow-through. From the time I met Kirsten, I have regarded as a professional member of our
team and have held her to an extraordinarily high standard of performance and excellence. She
has yet to miss that mark and I expect that she will graduate having only impressed me and the
rest of our team.

I believe that Kirsten will enjoy success in her student affairs career because of her desire to do
meaningful work and to have a lasting impact on students lives. Kirsten understands that the
work we do with our students helps to prepare them as leaders for a just and humane world.
She is a person of exemplary character, and I am confident that her experiences and skills are
transferrable to many different occupational settings. Kirsten is very smart, carefully organized,
instinctively student-centered, and insatiably motivated. Her abilities to effectively advise
students, train and supervise employees, plan events, and contribute to a team will help her to
find her way in the field. I know that she is the kind of professional that any institution or
organization would be proud to call their own, we at SU certainly are.

It has been an honor to put to paper my thoughts on the promise of Kirsten Aranas for our
profession. Upon reflection, I have realized that the opportunity to guide Kirsten through her final
three quarters of graduate school ranks as a highlight of my career. She truly is a special
person. I feel fortunate to get to be a part of her journey and I cannot wait to see how she
changes the world.

Sincerely,

Nayland S. Olsen
Nayland S. Olsen
Assistant Director- Center for Student Involvement

CENTER FOR STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

901 12th Avenue, S, Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 296-6238 olsenn@seattleu.edu