2801 W. Bancroft St., Mail Stop 530 Toledo, OH 43606 419-530-7788

2801 W. Bancroft St. Carlson Library Suite 1057 Mail Stop 530 Toledo, OH 43606 To whom it may concern: Samantha Rhodes has been one of the brightest students I’ve seen come into our newsroom. And when I use the word “bright,” I use it in several contexts — she is intelligent, inexhaustibly cheerful, and a never-ending resource for struggling new writers and tired editors alike. She is an invaluable member of any institution fortunate enough to snag her. When she was hired here two years ago, I could tell right away Samantha was going to be an asset. She came with experience already so early in her collegiate career, but with an attitude that was still exceptionally open to learning. Within the first weeks of her first full semester here, she was so skilled that she was promoted from staff writer to News Editor. After that, her gift for storytelling made her an ideal Features Editor, a position created specifically for her and tailored to her talents. Samantha’s work as Managing Editor was no different from how she has always preformed — excellent. It’s remarkable to see someone so thoroughly master a good attitude with getting results. Samantha is hands-down the favorite editor for new reporters to learn from, because she so clearly explains the basics with a calming and luminous demeanor. She is so good at managing, she was asked to create editor training material that we now use in the newsroom. I cannot recommend Samantha Rhodes enough, and I cannot stress enough how lucky you would be to have her on your team. I would be sad to see Samantha go, but that instinct is overwhelmed by the joy of knowing she will now be sharing her incredible talent with others. Regards,

Danielle Gamble Adviser, The Independent Collegian dgamble@independentcollegian.com