March 25, 2018 

To Whom It May Concern; 

It is with enthusiasm that I write this letter in recommendation of school counseling candidate, Melody Wong. Over 
the last two academic school years, I have been able to work with Melody in different capacities. Since the 
2016-2017 school year, Melody has been engaged in the SFUSD School Counseling Program. This is where I initially 
met Melody and worked with her through varying levels of the placement process which included interviewing, 
screening and participation in professional development. Starting in the Fall of 2017, Melody has been a student in 
a Fieldwork course I teach at the University of San Francisco. In this setting, school counseling interns are able to 
explore and process their internship experiences. This includes everything from exploring micro and macro 
counseling applications to examining systems and policies that impact work with students. It’s been a honor to be 
able to follow Melody’s journey, starting from when she entered the program and was a school counseling intern at 
James Lick Middle School and now in her current placement at Balboa High School. I see the tremendous growth 
that has taken place in her practices and how she has been able to gain more confidence in her skills as a school 
counselor.   

In both the middle and high school settings, Melody has been focused on serving the least reached students, those 
identified through Early Warning Indicators (EWI), Off-Track lists, and also within the Student Assistance Program 
(SAP) and the African American Leadership Initiative (AALI). Melody has worked alongside the counseling team to 
strategize approaches to increase struggling students’ connection to services and to bolster engagement with the 
school community in general. An example of her efforts towards reaching students is her facilitation of a college 
readiness pyscho-educational group called Make It Happen. This group targeted 9th grade students who were 
represented on the Early Warning Indicator list (criteria which considers grades, attendance and previous 
suspensions/behavioral history). Make It Happen met weekly and offered topics such as high school graduation 
requirements, post-secondary planning, organizational tips, resume building and social-emotional topics as well. 
The group allowed space for students to share/process fears and hopes for the future and to normalize anxieties 
that are associated with making the transition from middle school to high school. Melody has also been immersed 
in a multitude of counseling activities; everything fro supporting her site with scheduling, transcript evaluations, PE 
exemptions, developing counseling plans to support students who are Off-Track, assisting students in exploring 
credit recovery options, making referrals to community based organizations for students who may require additional 
specialized support, and participation in Student Success Team and Individual Education Plan meetings. 

Melody demonstrates a high level of organizational and coordination skills and a fervor for the work of serving 
students - especially those are marginalized. I believe that Melody will continue to thrive in the role of school 
counselor and will be a wonderful contributing member of any institution she joins. 

Please feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss further. 

Sincerely, 

Ling Busche 

Head Counselor 
San Francisco Unified School District 
SFCSD – Office of Counseling & Post-Secondary Success