April 2, 2015

To Whom It May Concern,

I am very pleased to recommend Allana Tagaban for admission to the U of A Honors

College. Allana was a student last year in both my honors Anatomy & Physiology
and Introduction to Epidemiology classes. Allanas presence in my classes was both
enriching and rewarding for me as she was an asset to the courses throughout the
year. Her work ethic and the quality of her work were both outstanding. This year I
see Allana weekly, as she is the vice president of National Honor Society and I am
an adviser.
Allana is curious, intrinsically-motived, thorough, and dedicated. Several times
throughout the year she took her learning above and beyond the classroom and
applied it in her own, personal way. For example, she explored in further depth
topics such as the on-going Ebola outbreak in Africa, drug addiction vs. sugar
addiction, and the connection between high dairy/calcium intake and kidney
stones. She then shared this information with her peers. While in the classroom,
Allana consistently contributed to class discussions and was fully engaged during
labs and activities. She was comfortable taking a leadership position in small group
situations, and was respected by her peers. Several times throughout the school
year, her learning was so complete that she was able to tutor and help out other
students in the class. Her work was detailed, thorough, and always completed on
time. I usually looked to Allanas work as a superior representation. Throughout the
year, I saw Allana as a person that others could go to for emotional support as well
as academic support. She has a very warm and generous personality and is always
smiling or laughing. She takes constructive criticism in stride and is in turn
compassionate with others
Each year at Bioscience High School, our students take part in addressing a realworld problem or challenge. Working through this problem-solving situation involves
identifying the issue, finding out what has been/is currently being done by others,
reaching out and communicating to stakeholders, implementing an intervention,
and evaluating the intervention. Last year, Allana wanted to address the lack of
efficient alternative fuel sources within our community. Her implementation
correlated with research she was doing in the iGEM club (International Genetically
Engineered Machine) on genetically modified E. Coli bacteria producing ethanol. As
Allana and her group dove deeper into this challenge, however, they noticed a
general trend of misinformation regarding factors associated with their project
(GMOs, DNA, etc.), so for her senior year Allana is focusing her project on scientific
illiteracy.

Last year, Allana participated in the Arizona Regional Brain Bee, a neuroscience
competition for high school students. I saw Allana weekly for chapter reviews and
discussions, as the reading and studying was done individually by students on their
own time during the week. Allana was able to prioritize and manage her time
effectively and was able to maintain her normal expected academic responsibilities.
After the competition was over, she continued to find ways to make connections
between the Brain Bee and anatomy class topics.
When Allana was a junior she was eligible to join the National Honor Society. While
able to maintain her eligibility status, Allana expressed frustration at the officers
who were running the club at the time. She ran for a position last spring and was
voted in by her peers as vice president for this year. I have been very impressed
with the way she has used her role as an officer to bring positive changes to the
club. She has been instrumental in helping to run meetings smoothly and efficiently,
helping to organize club fundraisers and community service events, and to help
communicate with other officers and members.
Allana was born in the Philippines and came to the United States when she was 10
years old. Her native language is Tagalog. Her parents made the move in order to
give her and her older sister a chance for a brighter future. Staying in the
Philippines would have put her family in poverty, as her parents (both teachers),
would have been earning the equivalent of $300.00 annually. This would not have
allowed for Allana and her sister to attend college. Her father currently works in Los
Angeles due to a work contract, and I know it is difficult for Allana to be away from
him. Having spent the first 10 years of her life in the Philippines, Allana is
challenged at times with communication issues relating to language barriers and
cultural differences that make it harder for her to ingest new academic information.
As her teacher, her struggles were not apparent to me. She is fluent in speaking,
reading, and writing English and has assimilated well into the American social
teenage culture.
Allana is currently interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, specifically,
as a general surgeon or in the field of neuroscience. Her maturity, diligence, and
strength as a learner will be assets to her academic growth and learning. I am
confident that Allana will be successful in her college years and as she moves
toward her personal and professional goals. I feel strongly that she is an excellent
candidate for the Honors College at the University of Arizona.
Sincerely,
Nadia Smith
Science Teacher