John Piper

517-414-1502

j.piper@att.net

4097 Woodlyn Dr., Lansing, MI 48910

December 17, 2014

!
!

To whom it may concern:

Please consider this a letter of reference and recommendation for Catherine Chan, who
has been a member and officer of our Toastmasters public speaking club, MSU Simply
Speaking, for more than a year. The Michigan State University-based club is part of
Toastmasters International, a nonprofit organization that is designed to help members
develop their public speaking and leadership skills.
Catherine has assertively worked to improve her own skills in these areas, including
completing the Toastmasters workbook which requires she give 10 speeches
emphasizing different aspects of public speaking and qualifying her for the
Internationals Competent Communicator award. As the vice-president for education and
immediate past president of the club, I have seen her progress in both the quality of her
speeches and her self-confidence. As well, she has taken on the different leadership roles
that are a part of each of our weekly meetings, as well as held the leadership position of
club secretary. She managed this around her full academic schedule.
My understanding, based on our conversations, is that she plans to continue in
Toastmasters wherever she may re-locate to continue advancing in the organization and in
the enhancement of her own skills, all of which are important to any professional position.
Sincerely yours,

!
John Piper, vice-president for education, MSU Simply Speaking Toastmasters