This is something she sent to me just before I took her to take it at SDSU .. her professors were adamant that she apply and is why she took the GRE to get into graduate school .. she got quite a kick out of his name Dan Berry
what a glowing recommendation
March 26, 2019 To: MS in Rehabilitation Counseling at San Diego State University Re: Letter of Recommendation for Kimberly Thurman
I am writing this letter support of Kimberly (Kimber) Thurman’s application for the Rehabilitation Counseling Master’s program at San Diego State University.
I met Kimber in the fall of 2017 through the Faculty Mentorship Program at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), and Kimber joined my Social and Affective Psychophysiology (SAP) lab in the spring of 2019. During the time that I have known Kimber, it is clear that she is resolute in her dedication to becoming a rehabilitation counselor. Kimber stands out among her peers in my lab and as a student. She is a capable, budding scholar, and a passionate, active citizen in the university and local community. She is a joy to work with and without a doubt one of the most promising students that I’ve ever had the opportunity to mentor. I cannot wait to see Kimber realize her full potential through focused study in your graduate program. It is with great enthusiasm that I offer her my strongest recommendation for this scholarship.
Below I will convey why I think Kimber is the perfect fit for your program.
Kimber has grit. When we first met, I learned about Kimber’s brain injury that occurred while SCUBA diving in the summer of 2006. She has many cognitive and physical difficulties resulting from this injury, and just last year she fractured some of her lower vertebrae, which made everyday activities even more difficult. After talking to Kimber for a few minutes, however, one sees that although these circumstances might make things difficult for her, she is committed to completing her schoolwork to reach her goals. Perhaps because of her experience overcoming her brain injury, Kimber has consistently gone over-and-above course requirements to perform well in her classes. Her lived experience with her injury situates her very for her intended field, as she can provide counseling from a lens of shared experience. Kimber is ready to make the jump to graduate-level courses, in which I surmise that her grit will continue to shine brightly. More than any student that I have known previously, Kimber has a clear goal for her future career. One of the hardest things to teach a mentee is that to succeed after college, they should make their future goals a part of their identity. I deeply treasure our discussions about her pursuit of her career goal to take a job in rehabilitation counseling, because she has so much to offer to that field. It is part of her identity. She hopes to help people who have had brain (and other) injuries like her own.
The last two fall semesters, Kimber was invited to attend a graduate school fair at CSU Channel Islands. Many graduate programs across the country came to this event, and Kimber knew that chances like this do not always come along. She was so excited about the trip. We met for several hours to discuss the seminars that she should attend, the questions she should ask, and how she should plan to get the most out of the trip. She even made sure that the travel accommodations were appropriate for her wheelchair. To say that she took the opportunity seriously would be an understatement. It is because Kimber knows what she wants to do with degree that she learned so much about the next step in her career. In my experience, classroom performance is not always the best predictor of success in graduate school. Instead students who take on extracurricular activities to pursue their interests seem to hit the ground running in graduate school. Kimber seeks out opportunities to growth and challenge herself. She puts her heart into this work.
For the past few months Kimber has worked as a research assistant in the SAP lab. Not every student in the SAP Lab is invited to work on projects using electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. In fact, most work on behavioral studies that do not use psychophysiological measures, and I require students to work in the lab for a full semester before I train them on EEG. Given Kimber’s interests in rehabilitation counseling, however, and her high attention to detail, she began monitoring the EEG recordings for a study on mindfulness and empathy. Kimber’s work has been impeccable. She has been a careful steward of our data and I hope that others look to her approach for leadership. Her responsibilities will most certainly grow this summer to incorporate sophisticated data analysis and leadership tasks. Kimber understands that the use of technology in rehabilitation counseling is increasingly important, and that the equipment in the SAP Lab offers a unique opportunity to use such technology.
Kimber is caring and other oriented. For the last two years we have met biweekly (and sometimes weekly), and she always takes time to check in how I am doing. As an early career faculty member, I’m usually too busy to think about how I’m doing, but Kimber listens to my ranting about all the things on my to do lists.
She cares. In the lab and in her studies, she is more focused on learning and mastery, as opposed to grades and praise. Kimber has a positive upbeat attitude, and it motivates me and her lab mates. She is truly a joy to work with, a leader by example, and good listener. She will be a great colleague and citizen to your program. If we could keep her in our lab we would! Should she be selected for your program, I am confident that Kimber would excel in her coursework and professional activities. It is obvious to me that she puts every ounce of her energy into pursuing her career, makes the most out of her opportunities, and does not let anything impede her progress. She is an exemplary student in our department, a capable and passionate citizen of her community, an outstanding candidate for your program. I offer my strongest support for her application.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Daniel R. Berry, PhD | Assistant Professor Social and Affective Psychophysiology Laboratory | Department of Psychology California State University San Marcos | San Marcos, CA 92069
