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January 28, 2005
Dearest Mr. & Mrs. Trinh,
I pray this letter will not be painful for you to read. But I deeply felt the
urgent need to share my thoughts about and feelings for Linda with you. I feel
like I owe it to her legacy and to you as her parents. I know that every single
word that I say in this letter you already know very well about your amazing
daughter, for it is only parents, after God, who know every vein of their child.
But I wanted you to know that all the miracles you saw in your daughter, countless
others did too, from her friends, colleagues, and peers to her teachers, coaches,
and professors.
I was privileged to teach Linda in my IB physics class for one year. I do not say
this lightly or very often, but Linda was one of THE BEST of the best students I have
had in my teaching career. Her intelligence and genius speaks for itself. However,
Linda was the entire “well-rounded perfect package.” I have met very few people in my
own life who have been like her. She took the toughest courses in high school as an
IB diploma recipient, had the most difficult major (biomedical engineering) at the
most competitive and challenging university (Johns Hopkins) and yet did all of this
with great poise and a warm smile.
She was extremely hardworking and it is very rare to find the tremendous work ethnic
that she possessed in most people. When students get to upper-level classes such as
physics and calculus, they are prone to complain due to the great rigor of the subject
matter and workload. Linda never once complained about the difficulty of my course
and/or the amount of work required to be successful in physics. No matter how high I
set the standards in my class, she always surmounted them with grace and went well
beyond my expectations. I was always in awe of her hardworking nature, for she made
it seem so easy. And yet, I knew very well that it was NOT, in fact, easy at all. Yet
she consistently gave me her 200% and did everything with happiness and an appreciation
for learning. Her laughter, happy-go-lucky manner, and positive energy that surrounded
her were contagious. Linda possessed the stellar attitude to go along with her tremendous
aptitude. A rare find indeed!
The quality of her work was perfect. Not only did she have great insight into the
difficult physics problems but she presented and completed her problems with such beauty
that as I mentioned to the television reporters, I would photocopy some of her work
and keep it in my files – that’s how excellent it was content wise and in the way it
was done! The problem was always completed meticulously, it was 100% correct, and
the icing on the cake was that her handwriting, like herself, was beautiful! Her
laboratory reports were professional works of physics art! I could always imagine
that she would never have any trouble writing abstracts and being published one day.
She was almost already there. With this letter I am also attaching a copy of the letter
of recommendation that I was honored to write for Linda five years ago as she applied
to Johns Hopkins University.
I must say that she was one of the BRIGHTEST stars that I was blessed to admire
everyday. I deeply respected her as a phenomenal physics student and as a wonderful
human being. I know that people usually think that teachers give so much to their
students. Linda was the kind of student and person who gave so much more to her
teachers. I just feel so very lucky to have crossed her path and to have had the
honor to cradle her mind for a year.
I want you to know that what Linda accomplished in 21 short years, many others can
not even begin to imagine to accomplish in entire lifetimes. Very few people walk
on this Earth in the way that she did, with intelligence, kindness, humility and
beauty. There is so much to be celebrated from her life. There is so much to be
learned from her exemplary existence. Knowing what she did is so much more powerful
than thinking of what she could have done. Many on Earth just dwindle and waste
away their lives. Linda used her life to make consistent, positive changes in her
corner(s) of the Universe.
Linda touched so many different people in her life that there are countless today
who are praying for her and her family in various languages of the various religions.
Mr. and Mrs. Trinh, so many prayers are with you and Linda today and will continue
to be with you tomorrow and thereafter. God hears the prayer of every servant who
calls to Him. With so many people calling on God today in so many different ways
through so many different faith traditions, I know with certainty that your family
will be blessed with patience and perseverance and eventual peace. And Linda’s soul
will rest in peace in Heaven, Amen.
There is famous line in the Qur’an which states “To God we belong and to Him we
shall return.” Muslims usually say this upon hearing the death of a person and it
is thought to bring peace to the heart of the believer. I say this letter today
and will always keep Linda Trinh and her family in my prayers. Thank you so much
for nurturing and raising such an exceptional human being!
In Prayer & Peace,
Ms. Nazish Habib
IB Physics Teacher
Springbrook High School
Montgomery County, MD
Recommendation for: Linda Trinh
November 10, 2000
Dear Admissions Committee,
It has been my extreme pleasure to have taught and to have come to know Linda
Trinh as a student and a person in the last two years. Linda was in my Honors
Level/Standard Level International Baccalaureate (IB) physics course as an 11th
grade student. It has been very rewarding to observe her academic and personal
growth in the last few years. Linda sat for the Standard Level IB Physics exam
last May and did very well on the exam, a testament to her perseverance and
hard work all year.
Linda managed to maintain a consistently high “A” average in an extremely rigorous,
college preparatory IB physics course. She has certainly not been passive participant
in her education but an excellent, active member of my class who asked probing
questions whenever she was confused or wished to learn further about each aspect
of a physics’ concept or problem. Linda came in after school on many occasions to
confirm her understanding of the subject matter. I never remember her once
complaining about the workload or the rigor of the class, a habit that some students,
unfortunately, are prone to acquire. These behaviors highlight Linda’s disciplined,
thorough, and thoughtful approach to her education. Linda has continued to challenge
herself by taking the most rigorous courses in high school, including going to further
in science by dabbling in Higher Level IB Biology in her senior year. Needless to say,
she rises to every occasion and went beyond the highest expectations in my class.
I try to teach physics with a performance-based emphasis, weaving laboratories, whenever
possible, into each concept learned. In this environment, there are plenty of opportunities
to observe a student’s competence in and motivation for the subject, leadership in potential,
and empathy for others. Linda was a team player and a team leader in her laboratory
cohort. She was always available to help other students and take on a leadership role
in a non-threatening, humorous way whenever needed in cooperative group situations such
as laboratories. Her concern for other students’ growth as well as her own was readily
apparent. Needless to say, Linda can work exceptionally well with different types of
people in a compassionate, humorous, and task oriented manner.
On a personal level, I have found Linda to be an extremely intelligent, hardworking,
polite, kind, respectful, and mature young woman. She has an excellent rapport with
both her peers and her teachers at Springbrook High School. I am not just impressed
by her academic abilities as a student but her humble qualities as a human being as
well. Indeed, these characteristics in combination are rare to find in the adults and
young adults of today’s world.
As you can thoroughly glean from the other parts of her application, Linda has not
only excelled academically but challenges and has involved herself in a plethora of
extracurricular activities, in and outside of school. She has served the school
community at Springbrook High School in many important ways. Most prominently, she
has held prominent positions in the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society,
the Student Government Association, and the Latin/French Clubs among many others,
while having the discipline and the time to be heavily involved in Varsity Volleyball
and Varsity Gymnastics. You may note that Linda has won numerous distinctions in
academics and athletics. Her other interests, such as volunteering and tutoring at
different civic and church organizations in the area, all show her commitment to
service as a citizen and a student. Balancing these wide range of activities and many
others with her rigorous academic schedule highlights Linda’s excellent time
management skills and discipline, characteristics which are essential for success at
the university level and in her later professional life. These qualities will
certainty help her succeed in a rigorous and competitive environment such as your
university would offer her.
Judging from the academic and personal qualities that Linda has exhibited in the last
two years that I have known her, there is no doubt in my mind that she should shine
in the academically competitive atmosphere that your fine institution of higher
learning should afford her. It is with much thought and without reserve that I can
state that Linda Trinh has been one of my best students I have had in my teaching
career. She receives my highest and most enthusiastic recommendation as a member of
your freshman class, for I believe that you will find that she will be a great
asset to your institution. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any
additional questions and/or concerns.
Respectfully,
Ms. Nazish Habib
Honors / IB / AP Physics Teacher
Springbrook High School
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