March 30, 2018

To whom it may concern:

My name is Jesus Gomez and I am currently the Program Coordinator at HighSight, a non-profit
organization focused on college access and academic and leadership development for
underserved high school students. I am also expected to graduate with my Master’s of Education
in Higher Education from Loyola University in Chicago this spring. It is with a great deal of
sincerity and enthusiasm that I submit this review of promise for Kristen Surla. I feel extremely
humble to be writing on behalf of Kristen, who I have known for over four years as a colleague,
classmate and close friend. Through these experiences with Kristen, I am beyond confident that
she will continue to be an exemplary and inspirational professional in the field of higher
education who values and prioritizes social justice.
I first became acquainted with Kristen through my former professional role as Latinx
Community Coordinator in the Multicultural Resource Center at Oberlin College, in Oberlin,
Ohio, where Kristen served as the Asian / Asian Pacific Islander (A/API) Community
Coordinator. Along with two other Community Coordinators, Black/Africana and LGBTQIA,
we formed an impenetrable bond and served as an important force on Oberlin’s campus. In fact,
one of my earliest memories of Kristen’s contagious passion was when she interviewed for the
A/API Community Coordinator position. I had been working as the Latinx Community
Coordinator for a year already and took part in the search committee for the A/API Community
Coordinator. Kristen stood out from all other applicants, particular during her interview where
there became no doubt about her genuine character and motivation to be an impactful person on
Oberlin’s campus as a higher education administrator.
Kristen embraced the complex and multifaceted role of a Community Coordinator, and proved to
be both a person deeply committed to underrepresented and underserved students and a
colleague who could navigate working closely with administrators and faculty. In addition,
Kristen brought strong organization, delegation, conflict resolution, evaluation and
communication skills that were fully apparent when working with students, faculty, and
administrators. She implemented intersectional workshops and programs individually and as a
part of the Community Coordinator team. I could speak to countless times when Kristen went
above and beyond for students, administration, and faculty in her role as the A/API Community
Coordinator, but one example I want to focus on is her work for the 18th Biennial Midwest
Asian American Student Conference (MAASC). Planning a conference this large is not an easy
task to accomplish, but Kristen put in an incredible amount of work and passion in coordinating
multiple student organizations, administrators, and faculty to make this one of the most
successful events at Oberlin College. There were a host of presenters, artists, speakers,
performers, panels, outside college students, faculty, administrators and community members
who were present for the MAASC event. Not surprising to Kristen and the students’ goals, the
conference was themed “Moving the Movement: Asian American Radicalism Reimagined.” An
event this important took a semester long of planning, delegation, collaboration and a host of
many other skills that Kristen had exuded since her interview. This event was only a glimpse of
Kristen’s potential and influence as a person and as a higher educational professional.
Another area I have been very lucky to know Kristen is in the Master’s program at Loyola, as it
has been a joyful experience for me to see how much she has grown as a person and higher
education professional. It is no surprise to me how much she continues to embrace both her
academic studies and professional role as graduate assistant in Residence Life at Loyola. She
continues to be critical and self-reflective, something we highly prioritized during our time at
Oberlin as Community Coordinators. It is without a doubt that I highly recommend Kristen as a
current and future leader in the field of Higher Education. I know she will succeed in any
challenge she decides to take on, though I am most proud to know that she will continue with her
educational journey to earn a Ph.D. at Michigan State University. There is no doubt that,
through Kristen’s professional and academic experience and achievements, she will continue to
make an impact in and out of the higher education field.
Sincerely,

Jesus Gomez

Jesus Gomez
Program Coordinator
HighSight