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Law School Applications / Re: High LSAT/Low GPA - My story
« on: May 10, 2005, 01:37:39 PM »
Letter of Recommendation – Hunter C. Hogan
I have had the privilege to work professionally with Hunter Hogan as an administrator of instructional programs at CyberTex, a computer training company based in Austin, Texas. As I worked closely with Hunter, he proved himself to be an indispensable asset to the company.
Prior to my employment with CyberTex, I was a coordinator for the gifted and talented program and a mentor teacher in Cleveland ISD for new teachers. I was responsible for identifying gifted students and mentoring teachers working with gifted students. I am very familiar with the characteristics of gifted individuals. I have 18 years of experience in the Texas public school system, and currently teach in Austin ISD.
Hunter is not just a gifted individual. He is what I consider to be profoundly gifted. As such, his life has been a series of overcoming obstacles. His biggest obstacle has been to learn to “suffer fools gladly” to avoid alienation from mainstream culture. Being highly gifted does not always work to one’s social advantages. As Hunter’s natural ability to teach evolved into a highly effective and successful style, his students taught him to become more aware of his communication skills and helped him to develop confidence in his leadership ability. I watched as Hunter, through his teaching, grew into a more tolerant, compassionate individual.
It was a joy to work with Hunter as he learned more about best teaching practices, as he was an inquisitive, eager, and extremely fast learner. He applied everything he learned and had many discussions with me to clarify and perfect his teaching methods in any situation he encountered. Of course, “whys” were of primary importance and interest. Hunter welcomed challenges as opportunities to learn, and frequently read teaching methodology books I brought to work He enjoyed discussing concepts, questioning various philosophies and applying what he was learning. As an instructor, Hunter researched the latest developments in technology and sought increasingly higher skill levels in technical expertise. He was an independent learner, preferring to read technical self-study guides and work the accompanying exercises to obtain 8 certifications. Hunter passed all 8 certification exams in less than a year while he was a full time instructor. He demonstrated excellent mastery, as he passed all 8 exams on the first try with very high scores.
Hunter has a wide range of interests. Though Hunter prefers to teach himself through reading, he often enjoys sharing insights and debating fine points of educational techniques and philosophies to psychology of learners and political systems to technology issues and beyond. He designed several websites - one addressing web design and another, current political issues. Enthusiastic debates and engaging discussions filled the classroom and hallways at break times. Hunter created a climate of learning and a community of learners engaged in reflections and self-expression to surround him.
Hunter’s enthusiasm was contagious, and his students reflected this in their excellent attendance. He always taught with passion and a sense of humor. He was the most popular instructor, and consistently achieved high marks on his evaluations. Hunter quickly gained rapport with students, as he was able to connect with them on an individual and personal level. He achieved a high rate of success in his teaching despite a frustrating lack of motivation displayed by some students. Hunter was able to set aside his own tendency toward perfectionism to reach out and provide assistance to those students needing some hand holding to be successful. Hunter devised a system to help monitor student success, build in confidence and help students pass a difficult certification test in a very short framework of time.
Hunter was reliable and responsible, missing only one sick day in all the time he worked with CyberTex. He made sure instruction began on time, and taught until time for students to go home. He was concerned that the students got their moneys’ worth, as he knew these lower income students were paying a high tuition in order to quickly obtain a decent paying job. He took his job seriously, and felt personally responsible for students grasping tough technical concepts in a very fast paced, accelerated program. Hunter was dedicated to their success. Despite working full time under a stressful workload, Hunter made himself available to his students to call him outside of working hours, on his cell phone, with any questions they may have, or if they just needed encouragement or advice. He also volunteered to hold several outings outside of school for students to socialize and enjoy time together free from the pressures of school. Students enjoyed playing Frisbee in the park, and had a get together at Hunter’s house to watch a UT football game.
Hunter and I worked very well together. I am a planner, and have depended upon my organizational skills for years. Hunter, fortunately, also was a planner and extremely organized. The CEO’s of the company were focused on day-to-day concerns, often making radical shifts in direction based on information at any given moment. Hunter and I were often forced into negotiations at these times to help the company accomplish long-range goals while remaining sensitive to the short-term issues. Usually, Hunter’s suggestions made during these meetings were termed as “brilliant” and consequently acted upon. Though many hours of curriculum development and his program designs were at stake, Hunter was able to creatively solve the problems facing the team. His analytical thinking and creative solutions saved the company time and money. And if Hunter did not know the answer to a question, he researched it until it was resolved. I never worried about Hunter meeting project deadlines, because he always managed to beat them.
Hunter was an ideal lead instructor, but also had many other job responsibilities.
He was a self-starter, envisioning solutions for problems many others did not forsee. Hunter took initiative to create and revise curriculum for new instructors, coordinate scheduling of classes, procure and maintain classroom and networking equipment, assist with web design, and set up a newsgroup website for students to post messages, see job announcements, and much more.
He also created new marketing strategies, and designed an operating expense budget for CyberTex. Hunter was always willing to undertake new projects, and in time became an influential, yet democratic team leader. Hunter became able to take his own work and synthesize it with ideas offered by others, creating a well-designed project that had support from the entire company.
Hunter’s strength of integrity was sometimes a bane to others less concerned with “principles”. If Hunter perceived a lack of integrity in some area of the business, he would bring it to the attention of those who could correct it. At times, Hunter found himself caught in a conflict between his sense of justice, fairness and integrity and some business decisions made by the company. Hunter’s conscience did not allow him to say or do some things requested by a CEO. Hunter was trusted and admired, but maligned at times by some for his noncompliance. Hunter remained true to his beliefs.
Hunter prioritized and organized projects and goals in his mind. He rarely needed reminders because he was able to remember exactly what was needed and when it was due.
If he scheduled events, he used a palm pilot. He helped others on the team to organize various company projects through creation of a spreadsheet accessible through the file server.
Hunter would often be asked to abandon one project to begin work on another. Though he found this difficult, he would comply and throw his energy and creativity into the new project, and work on the former one as time allowed until it too was completed. Hunter always had a sense of the bigger picture as he worked to satisfy the changing priorities of the CEO. He had a need to see these projects through to realize his vision.
Funding sources for students entering the programs dried up, and Hunter began looking for work. He gave the company 2 weeks termination notice before leaving, and worked at a reduced rate of pay, offering to work part time if needed on projects. Unfortunately, the owner ultimately laid off the entire workforce, substituting family members for his paid employees.
Hunter was an exceptional key employee. I know he will succeed in any endeavor because he has:
-a drive to know and a passion for learning
-patience to research a problem until he thoroughly understands it
-analytical skills to dissect problems and find the critical elements
-creative ability to address problems in a way to minimize conflict
-persistence and determination to realize his goals
And Hunter is a meticulous visionary- an unusual and successful combination of characteristics.
Hunter has a strong drive to learn and achieve in his chosen career. He has a passion for issues of social justice, and a strong sense of ethics. He would be a lawyer deserving of trust.
But I believe Hunter will go beyond practicing law. He will, in some respect, be involved in teaching the principles, as he is a natural teacher equipped with the skills and passion to be whatever he desires. And he will always be a great student, as learning will be his lifelong pursuit.
I have had the privilege to work professionally with Hunter Hogan as an administrator of instructional programs at CyberTex, a computer training company based in Austin, Texas. As I worked closely with Hunter, he proved himself to be an indispensable asset to the company.
Prior to my employment with CyberTex, I was a coordinator for the gifted and talented program and a mentor teacher in Cleveland ISD for new teachers. I was responsible for identifying gifted students and mentoring teachers working with gifted students. I am very familiar with the characteristics of gifted individuals. I have 18 years of experience in the Texas public school system, and currently teach in Austin ISD.
Hunter is not just a gifted individual. He is what I consider to be profoundly gifted. As such, his life has been a series of overcoming obstacles. His biggest obstacle has been to learn to “suffer fools gladly” to avoid alienation from mainstream culture. Being highly gifted does not always work to one’s social advantages. As Hunter’s natural ability to teach evolved into a highly effective and successful style, his students taught him to become more aware of his communication skills and helped him to develop confidence in his leadership ability. I watched as Hunter, through his teaching, grew into a more tolerant, compassionate individual.
It was a joy to work with Hunter as he learned more about best teaching practices, as he was an inquisitive, eager, and extremely fast learner. He applied everything he learned and had many discussions with me to clarify and perfect his teaching methods in any situation he encountered. Of course, “whys” were of primary importance and interest. Hunter welcomed challenges as opportunities to learn, and frequently read teaching methodology books I brought to work He enjoyed discussing concepts, questioning various philosophies and applying what he was learning. As an instructor, Hunter researched the latest developments in technology and sought increasingly higher skill levels in technical expertise. He was an independent learner, preferring to read technical self-study guides and work the accompanying exercises to obtain 8 certifications. Hunter passed all 8 certification exams in less than a year while he was a full time instructor. He demonstrated excellent mastery, as he passed all 8 exams on the first try with very high scores.
Hunter has a wide range of interests. Though Hunter prefers to teach himself through reading, he often enjoys sharing insights and debating fine points of educational techniques and philosophies to psychology of learners and political systems to technology issues and beyond. He designed several websites - one addressing web design and another, current political issues. Enthusiastic debates and engaging discussions filled the classroom and hallways at break times. Hunter created a climate of learning and a community of learners engaged in reflections and self-expression to surround him.
Hunter’s enthusiasm was contagious, and his students reflected this in their excellent attendance. He always taught with passion and a sense of humor. He was the most popular instructor, and consistently achieved high marks on his evaluations. Hunter quickly gained rapport with students, as he was able to connect with them on an individual and personal level. He achieved a high rate of success in his teaching despite a frustrating lack of motivation displayed by some students. Hunter was able to set aside his own tendency toward perfectionism to reach out and provide assistance to those students needing some hand holding to be successful. Hunter devised a system to help monitor student success, build in confidence and help students pass a difficult certification test in a very short framework of time.
Hunter was reliable and responsible, missing only one sick day in all the time he worked with CyberTex. He made sure instruction began on time, and taught until time for students to go home. He was concerned that the students got their moneys’ worth, as he knew these lower income students were paying a high tuition in order to quickly obtain a decent paying job. He took his job seriously, and felt personally responsible for students grasping tough technical concepts in a very fast paced, accelerated program. Hunter was dedicated to their success. Despite working full time under a stressful workload, Hunter made himself available to his students to call him outside of working hours, on his cell phone, with any questions they may have, or if they just needed encouragement or advice. He also volunteered to hold several outings outside of school for students to socialize and enjoy time together free from the pressures of school. Students enjoyed playing Frisbee in the park, and had a get together at Hunter’s house to watch a UT football game.
Hunter and I worked very well together. I am a planner, and have depended upon my organizational skills for years. Hunter, fortunately, also was a planner and extremely organized. The CEO’s of the company were focused on day-to-day concerns, often making radical shifts in direction based on information at any given moment. Hunter and I were often forced into negotiations at these times to help the company accomplish long-range goals while remaining sensitive to the short-term issues. Usually, Hunter’s suggestions made during these meetings were termed as “brilliant” and consequently acted upon. Though many hours of curriculum development and his program designs were at stake, Hunter was able to creatively solve the problems facing the team. His analytical thinking and creative solutions saved the company time and money. And if Hunter did not know the answer to a question, he researched it until it was resolved. I never worried about Hunter meeting project deadlines, because he always managed to beat them.
Hunter was an ideal lead instructor, but also had many other job responsibilities.
He was a self-starter, envisioning solutions for problems many others did not forsee. Hunter took initiative to create and revise curriculum for new instructors, coordinate scheduling of classes, procure and maintain classroom and networking equipment, assist with web design, and set up a newsgroup website for students to post messages, see job announcements, and much more.
He also created new marketing strategies, and designed an operating expense budget for CyberTex. Hunter was always willing to undertake new projects, and in time became an influential, yet democratic team leader. Hunter became able to take his own work and synthesize it with ideas offered by others, creating a well-designed project that had support from the entire company.
Hunter’s strength of integrity was sometimes a bane to others less concerned with “principles”. If Hunter perceived a lack of integrity in some area of the business, he would bring it to the attention of those who could correct it. At times, Hunter found himself caught in a conflict between his sense of justice, fairness and integrity and some business decisions made by the company. Hunter’s conscience did not allow him to say or do some things requested by a CEO. Hunter was trusted and admired, but maligned at times by some for his noncompliance. Hunter remained true to his beliefs.
Hunter prioritized and organized projects and goals in his mind. He rarely needed reminders because he was able to remember exactly what was needed and when it was due.
If he scheduled events, he used a palm pilot. He helped others on the team to organize various company projects through creation of a spreadsheet accessible through the file server.
Hunter would often be asked to abandon one project to begin work on another. Though he found this difficult, he would comply and throw his energy and creativity into the new project, and work on the former one as time allowed until it too was completed. Hunter always had a sense of the bigger picture as he worked to satisfy the changing priorities of the CEO. He had a need to see these projects through to realize his vision.
Funding sources for students entering the programs dried up, and Hunter began looking for work. He gave the company 2 weeks termination notice before leaving, and worked at a reduced rate of pay, offering to work part time if needed on projects. Unfortunately, the owner ultimately laid off the entire workforce, substituting family members for his paid employees.
Hunter was an exceptional key employee. I know he will succeed in any endeavor because he has:
-a drive to know and a passion for learning
-patience to research a problem until he thoroughly understands it
-analytical skills to dissect problems and find the critical elements
-creative ability to address problems in a way to minimize conflict
-persistence and determination to realize his goals
And Hunter is a meticulous visionary- an unusual and successful combination of characteristics.
Hunter has a strong drive to learn and achieve in his chosen career. He has a passion for issues of social justice, and a strong sense of ethics. He would be a lawyer deserving of trust.
But I believe Hunter will go beyond practicing law. He will, in some respect, be involved in teaching the principles, as he is a natural teacher equipped with the skills and passion to be whatever he desires. And he will always be a great student, as learning will be his lifelong pursuit.