8/18/2019 Letter of Promise from a Peer in the Program

1/1

 

March 14, 2016

To the Portfolio Committee for Nikki Gottleib:

Please accept this letter as my testament to the promise of Nikki Gottleib as a higher education professional. I have been fortunate to work with Nikki in a variety of professional settings and I

have seen her commitment to bettering the overall college student experience shine through in allof her work. Nikki’s previous experience working in higher education and her time spent as the

Higher Education Student Association Vice President, combined with her graduate workexperience at three different Chicagoland institutions, has more than prepared her for the next

step in her student affairs journey.

During our first year as graduate students in the Higher Education program, I shared an officewith Nikki at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where we both worked as Graduate

Assistants. In this space, not only did we grow closer as colleagues, classmates, and friends, I

also witnessed Nikki’s commitment to social justice firsthand through various student and staffinteractions. During her time at IIT, Nikki worked as the Graduate Assistant for Gender andSexuality Services. In this role, Nikki was an advocate for many student populations through

 programming including, but not limited to: LGBTQ History Month, Sexual Assault AwarenessMonth, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Women’s History Month. Through these large-

scale programs, Nikki’s strong interpersonal, communicative, and organizational skills wereapparent as she sought to provide safe and inclusive spaces for students of all identities at IIT.

Outside of her programming experience, Nikki is exceptional with building rapport and formingmeaningful relationships with students and staff members in one-on-one settings. I witnessed

students and staff returning to Nikki’s office time and again not only to seek advice, but tocontinue conversation and strengthen a bond. Nikki was able to support students in life inside

and outside of IIT in ways that enhanced their overall student experience. I am confident that Nikki will continue to approach student interactions in similar, transformational ways in thefuture.

 Nikki has given her all in all of the roles she has held as a student at Loyola, and Nikki’sinvolvement as Vice President of the Higher Education Student Association is a true indication

of that work ethic. As Vice President, Nikki instituted necessary constitutional changes,collaborated with Loyola’s faculty search program, and facilitated a successful transition and

election process for the next executive board. Nikki completed all these tasks timely andsuccessfully, all while juggling her multitude of priorities. Nikki’s work ethic will be one of the

most valuable skills she will bring to the field of higher education.

Finally, all of the hard work Nikki has done is paired with her fantastic character. Always downfor a good laugh, Nikki is fantastic at keeping situations light, even in the most stressful of times.

It is Nikki’s sense of humor that I missed most after we both departed IIT for different graduateassistant endeavors. I am happy to call Nikki one of my great friends, and I am excited to see

where we both land in our career paths in student affairs.

Katherine M. Knight