September 28, 2022 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to you on behalf of Sofia “Sofie” Mayfield, an applicant for your scholarship. I had the pleasure of teaching Sofie in Honors US History during her junior year in high school and in AP Comparative Government and Politics during her senior year. I don’t think I’ve ever written this in one of these letters before, but Sofie is one of my favorite students. She has a lot of life experience that has shaped the person she is today. She is a hard worker, ambitious, and goal oriented. Sofie is a top student and graduated at the top of her high school class. Her academic experience has helped her develop time management, self-discipline, and critical thinking skills. During her time in high school, Sofie was a member of several academic clubs including the National English Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Thespian Honor Society. Sofie was a 4-year member of the Etowah Chorus and Theatre Departments and was the president of Thespian Troupe 5014. She has participated in several theatrical productions, serving as stage manager, assistant state manager, supporting acting roles, and several behind-the-scenes jobs. This taught Sofie leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills. Sofie also worked as a math tutor at Mathnasium and our on campus tutoring center. As long as I have known Sofie, she has expressed an interest in engineering. She enrolled at the University of Georgia in August with the goal of becoming a mechanical engineer. In pursuit of this goal, she has already joined two on campus organizations at UGA, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Society of Woman Engineers. While Sofie is an accomplished student and was a leader in the Etowah community, I think her personal experiences are what make her special. Sofie was adopted from China when she was 11 months old. While her parents are white, Sofie identifies as Chinese and has often felt cut off from her Chinese culture and heritage. She has experienced a lot of anti-Asian racism in her lifetime, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that has affected her self esteem and sense of personal identity. Sofie also identifies as queer. Admitting this to herself was very difficult, especially because Sofie doesn’t think her father will be accepting. She is determined to keep her sexuality a secret because she thinks her father will disown her if he finds out. Both things are a lot for a 17-year-old to handle, but Sofie is resilient and never lets her personal struggles get in the way of her academic performance. In Sofie Mayfield, you will be getting a student who has dealt with some battles and has come out of them a stronger and more confident person. Sofie Mayfield is a wonderful student and an even better person. Sofie’s academic achievement, community involvement, and a deep interest in engineering make her the idea candidate for your scholarship. I hope you will see fit to award her this honor. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information. Sincerely, Donell Osborne Social Studies Teacher Etowah High School e-mail: donell.osborne@cherokeek12.net
September 28, 2022 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to you on behalf of Sofia “Sofie” Mayfield, an applicant for your scholarship. I had the pleasure of teaching Sofie in Honors US History during her junior year in high school and in AP Comparative Government and Politics during her senior year. I don’t think I’ve ever written this in one of these letters before, but Sofie is one of my favorite students. She has a lot of life experience that has shaped the person she is today. She is a hard worker, ambitious, and goal oriented. Sofie is a top student and graduated at the top of her high school class. Her academic experience has helped her develop time management, self-discipline, and critical thinking skills. During her time in high school, Sofie was a member of several academic clubs including the National English Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Thespian Honor Society. Sofie was a 4-year member of the Etowah Chorus and Theatre Departments and was the president of Thespian Troupe 5014. She has participated in several theatrical productions, serving as stage manager, assistant state manager, supporting acting roles, and several behind-the-scenes jobs. This taught Sofie leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills. Sofie also worked as a math tutor at Mathnasium and our on campus tutoring center. As long as I have known Sofie, she has expressed an interest in engineering. She enrolled at the University of Georgia in August with the goal of becoming a mechanical engineer. In pursuit of this goal, she has already joined two on campus organizations at UGA, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Society of Woman Engineers. While Sofie is an accomplished student and was a leader in the Etowah community, I think her personal experiences are what make her special. Sofie was adopted from China when she was 11 months old. While her parents are white, Sofie identifies as Chinese and has often felt cut off from her Chinese culture and heritage. She has experienced a lot of anti-Asian racism in her lifetime, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that has affected her self esteem and sense of personal identity. Sofie also identifies as queer. Admitting this to herself was very difficult, especially because Sofie doesn’t think her father will be accepting. She is determined to keep her sexuality a secret because she thinks her father will disown her if he finds out. Both things are a lot for a 17-year-old to handle, but Sofie is resilient and never lets her personal struggles get in the way of her academic performance. In Sofie Mayfield, you will be getting a student who has dealt with some battles and has come out of them a stronger and more confident person. Sofie Mayfield is a wonderful student and an even better person. Sofie’s academic achievement, community involvement, and a deep interest in engineering make her the idea candidate for your scholarship. I hope you will see fit to award her this honor. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information. Sincerely, Donell Osborne Social Studies Teacher Etowah High School e-mail: donell.osborne@cherokeek12.net
September 28, 2022 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to you on behalf of Sofia “Sofie” Mayfield, an applicant for your scholarship. I had the pleasure of teaching Sofie in Honors US History during her junior year in high school and in AP Comparative Government and Politics during her senior year. I don’t think I’ve ever written this in one of these letters before, but Sofie is one of my favorite students. She has a lot of life experience that has shaped the person she is today. She is a hard worker, ambitious, and goal oriented. Sofie is a top student and graduated at the top of her high school class. Her academic experience has helped her develop time management, self-discipline, and critical thinking skills. During her time in high school, Sofie was a member of several academic clubs including the National English Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Thespian Honor Society. Sofie was a 4-year member of the Etowah Chorus and Theatre Departments and was the president of Thespian Troupe 5014. She has participated in several theatrical productions, serving as stage manager, assistant state manager, supporting acting roles, and several behind-the-scenes jobs. This taught Sofie leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills. Sofie also worked as a math tutor at Mathnasium and our on campus tutoring center. As long as I have known Sofie, she has expressed an interest in engineering. She enrolled at the University of Georgia in August with the goal of becoming a mechanical engineer. In pursuit of this goal, she has already joined two on campus organizations at UGA, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Society of Woman Engineers. While Sofie is an accomplished student and was a leader in the Etowah community, I think her personal experiences are what make her special. Sofie was adopted from China when she was 11 months old. While her parents are white, Sofie identifies as Chinese and has often felt cut off from her Chinese culture and heritage. She has experienced a lot of anti-Asian racism in her lifetime, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that has affected her self esteem and sense of personal identity. Sofie also identifies as queer. Admitting this to herself was very difficult, especially because Sofie doesn’t think her father will be accepting. She is determined to keep her sexuality a secret because she thinks her father will disown her if he finds out. Both things are a lot for a 17-year-old to handle, but Sofie is resilient and never lets her personal struggles get in the way of her academic performance. In Sofie Mayfield, you will be getting a student who has dealt with some battles and has come out of them a stronger and more confident person. Sofie Mayfield is a wonderful student and an even better person. Sofie’s academic achievement, community involvement, and a deep interest in engineering make her the idea candidate for your scholarship. I hope you will see fit to award her this honor. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information. Sincerely, Donell Osborne Social Studies Teacher Etowah High School e-mail: donell.osborne@cherokeek12.net