Saida Dahir

November 10, 2018 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to recommend Saida Dahir for your consideration. When I think of Saida, the first words that come to mind are Powerful, Passionate, and Giving. Saida has become a strong voice for her community locally and nationally. She is a fervent advocate for those who are struggling or who are disenfranchised. She is an accomplished woman and an exceptional student to boot. Saida’s service on local and national committees and events has given her strong leadership experiences. She is the Mayor of the Salt Lake Youth City Council and speaks, advocates, plans, and leads valuable community projects. Her prevention work with Promise South Salt Lake has benefited the students at elementary schools. Her activism has earned her several community awards including the 2016 Excellence of Education Award from the Utah Office of Multicultural Affairs and she was named Youth Keynote Speaker at the 2016 Multicultural Youth Leadership Summit & the 2017 Refugee Youth Leadership Summit. She was even invited to speak to Congress and lobbied at our Nation’s Capital. Saida is deeply passionate about serving and caring for others. She is heavily involved with the refugee community. Her passion to help others has led her to be an outspoken advocate since her early youth. Her leadership has developed as the President of our school’s Black Student Union, with the Interact Youth Group, as well as with Unicef USA. She continues to serve in Student Government, with our Model UN and debate teams, as well as with the Utah Youth Environmental Solution movement. She has also pursued her passion for political science and journalism by working with KRCL Radio as their Youth Correspondent. All of her hard work has paid off at school as well. She is one of our top students and maintained a 3.9 GPA while taking many of our hardest. She will complete over 14 Honors, Advanced Placement, and Concurrent Enrollment classes by her graduation. Saida’s story is a powerful one. Her life began in a refugee camp in Kenya. After coming to America, her mother worked very hard to provide for her eight children. With that example, Saida is motivated to make something of herself and will change our world. As you can tell from all that she has already accomplished, Saida will do just that – she will change the world! Again, I strongly urge you to put her at the top of your candidate list. You will not regret it. Sincerely, Wendy S. Phillips School Counselor Academy for Math, Engineering & Science An Early College High School Partnered With The University of Utah 5715 South 1300 East · Salt Lake City, UT 84121 · Phone: 801.278.9460 · Fax: 801.277.3527 · www.ames-slc.org