June 22, 2012 Dear Curtis Jackson and Channel 8 staff: Andrea Olson is not only an outstanding student

but also a terrific young professional who has demonstrated her ability to succeed in the world beyond the classroom. As the internship coordinator for Bellevue College (BC), I had the pleasure of working with Andrea in winter and spring quarters while she interned with KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. I was extraordinarily impressed by her dedication, her stellar communication s skills, and her professionalism. KIRO 7 Eyewitness News is the most popular local news program in the Pacific Northwest, so this was actually quite a high-profile internship for an underclassmanbut Andrea succeeded at it brilliantly. Her internship was multifaceted, and she played a wide variety of roles. She frequently accompanied reporters on location, helped set up shoots, found people to interview, and edited content for stories. She did several stand-ups in front of the camera. Back at the station, she learned how to use AVID software and edit video and sound clips for broadcast. She shadowed producers and production assistants. She used the iNews database to update progress in covering different stories. She worked with reporters and learned how to write for television news. Our internship program requires students to write several reflective assignments, and Andrea earned an A on every one of them. Indeed, Ive worked with 350 internship students here at BC, and Andrea was definitely in the top 5%. More important, she earned rave reviews from her supervisors at KIRO. Theyd take her back for another internship in a heartbeat. Her success in her internship was hardly an isolated incident. Despite taking an extremely challenging set of honors and AP courses, Andrea earned a GPA above 3.7 at Redmond High School and BC. Redmond HS is widely regarded as one of the half-dozen best (and most rigorous) public schools in the entire state. Andrea was also a Running Start student, which means she earned her Associates Degree almost immediately after earning her diploma. She will earn her Bachelors Degree before her 21st birthday. In short, Andrea is both incredibly bright and incredibly driven. Her communication skills are truly remarkable. Many students can write well, but Andrea can do so for multiple audiences and in many genres. She can switch back and forth between academic essays, newspaper journalism, poetry, feature writing, and television journalism with seemingly no effort. Incredibly, her public speaking skills are even stronger. Her work in student plays, her years of public speaking for clubs and church groups, and her internship experience have given her incredible poise and presence on a stage or in front of a camera. Andrea is also extraordinarily professional. During my 15-year teaching career, Ive met several whiz kids and Running Start students who were brilliant but had hopeless people skills. Andrea, on the other hand, is mature beyond her years. She has the professionalism and the time-management skills of a successful graduate student. And the folks at KIRO agree with my assessment that Andrea definitely has the know-how, the drive, and the people skills needed to succeed as a broadcast professional. On the whole, Andrea Olson wouldnt just succeed as a Channel 8 internshe would excel as one.

Sincerely,

Michael Reese
Michael Reese, Bellevue College Academic Internship Specialist michael.reese@bellevuecollege.edu 425.564.4066