November 10, 2018

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to recommend Saida Dahir for your consideration. When I think of Saida, the first words that come
to mind are Powerful, Passionate, and Giving. Saida has become a strong voice for her community locally and
nationally. She is a fervent advocate for those who are struggling or who are disenfranchised. She is an
accomplished woman and an exceptional student to boot.

Saida’s service on local and national committees and events has given her strong leadership experiences. She is
the Mayor of the Salt Lake Youth City Council and speaks, advocates, plans, and leads valuable community
projects. Her prevention work with Promise South Salt Lake has benefited the students at elementary schools.
Her activism has earned her several community awards including the 2016 Excellence of Education Award from
the Utah Office of Multicultural Affairs and she was named Youth Keynote Speaker at the 2016 Multicultural
Youth Leadership Summit & the 2017 Refugee Youth Leadership Summit. She was even invited to speak to
Congress and lobbied at our Nation’s Capital.

Saida is deeply passionate about serving and caring for others. She is heavily involved with the refugee
community. Her passion to help others has led her to be an outspoken advocate since her early youth. Her
leadership has developed as the President of our school’s Black Student Union, with the Interact Youth Group,
as well as with Unicef USA. She continues to serve in Student Government, with our Model UN and debate
teams, as well as with the Utah Youth Environmental Solution movement. She has also pursued her passion for
political science and journalism by working with KRCL Radio as their Youth Correspondent. All of her hard work
has paid off at school as well. She is one of our top students and maintained a 3.9 GPA while taking many of our
hardest. She will complete over 14 Honors, Advanced Placement, and Concurrent Enrollment classes by her
graduation.

Saida’s story is a powerful one. Her life began in a refugee camp in Kenya. After coming to America, her mother
worked very hard to provide for her eight children. With that example, Saida is motivated to make something of
herself and will change our world. As you can tell from all that she has already accomplished, Saida will do just
that – she will change the world! Again, I strongly urge you to put her at the top of your candidate list. You will
not regret it.

Sincerely,

Wendy S. Phillips
School Counselor
Academy for Math, Engineering & Science

An Early College High School

Partnered With The University of Utah
5715 South 1300 East · Salt Lake City, UT 84121 · Phone: 801.278.9460 · Fax: 801.277.3527 · www.ames-slc.org