Student Leadership Development

6511 N Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60626

Suite 127
p (773) 508-2176 | f (773) 508-2144
leadership@luc.edu

March 18, 2016

Dear Members of Meghan Funks ePortfolio Committee,
It is my pleasure to write this letter for Meghan Funk in support of her pending graduation from the Higher
Education program at Loyola University Chicago. Meghan and I have gotten to know each other well during
our time in the program, and worked together at Northwestern University as interns in the Medill Office of
Student Life. I have seen the dedication and effort that she puts into her coursework as well as professional
work, and I know she will continue to be a stellar member of the higher education community postgraduation.
Working at Loyola, Northwestern, Columbia College, and DePaul University, Meghan has navigated
different campus cultures, work environments, and cultivated meaningful relationships that will aid in her
continued success as a professional. While shes worked at various institutions, the constant in her
experience has been her care and support for students. Meghan is dedicated and passionate about student
development and consistently brings a students-first focus to any role she holds, making sure to articulate
student needs in staff meetings and to colleagues.
Meghan approaches her work both professionally and academically as an opportunity to learn and grow. An
area of growth that I have witnessed is her ability to self-advocate. During our first year in the program, she
was put into a challenging position in her graduate assistantship and a lot was asked of her in her role.
Rather than resign herself to another year in a challenging situation, she used the opportunity to learn and
grow, and advocated for herself in the contract-signing process for the second year of her internship. Meghan
handled that situation with such grace and professionalism and I know she has set herself up for a successful
onboarding process in future roles.
In relation to work ethic, I truly believe Meghan might be the hardest working person in our cohort. I am
constantly amazed by her ability to manage her schedule and work ahead on coursework in order to
negotiate time at her two part-time positions alongside time for herself. Meghan and I share a background of
both living in Chicago and working in the field prior to starting this masters program, and she has modeled
how to successfully maintain relationships with various networks during our time at Loyola something I
found I needed to learn quickly!
Always a futurist, Meghan is passionate about developing new ideas and thinking about the bigger picture,
which I witnessed firsthand during our time at Medill. Meghan was able to take a lead in executing a
successful orientation for graduate students, always thinking about the sustainability of the future of the
orientation without her presence at the institution. Additionally, she brought new ideas to the Medill team in
the orientation planning process, providing them with innovative insight and a fresh perspective.
Finally, Meghans positivity and outgoing personality has been a wonderful addition to my experiences at
Loyola. She is always smiling and finding the good in any situation, even the most challenging of days. I am
thrilled to call her a friend and cannot wait to see where we both land on our career paths in student affairs.
Sincerely,
Nicole Gottleib