April 12, 2016

To whom it may concern:

I am pleased to be writing a letter of recommendation on behalf of Lana Kostenuk. I have known Lana
since September 2015 when she began my Introductory Psychology (Psyc 260) class at Red Deer College.
Lana was highly involved in classroom participation and showed great passion for learning and applying
course content. I believe I can attest to Lana’s scholastic abilities and her personal character.

In my class Lana managed to stand out (even in a large class) as a highly motivated and dedicated student.
She received excellent grades (A) on virtually all exams and assignments, attended every single lecture.
Lana ended up with the second highest grade in the course (of 85 students), receiving 92% overall. There
were only 3 grades in the class of 85 students that were in the A range (90%, 92%, and 95%). She
enthusiastically participated in group work and class discussions and assisted in the learning of others in
the classroom. She consistently displayed critical and creative thinking as well as an exceptional ability to
connect course content with real life applications.

Recently Lana presented a paper she wrote on Mindful Parenting at the Agora Undergraduate conference
at Red Deer College. This academic presentation will be a published abstract in the conference
proceedings. I was able to attend Lana’s presentation and was extremely impressed with her oral
communication skills, confidence, and knowledge on the subject matter. She delivered an exceptional oral
presentation that was both informative and engaging, while integrating theory, research, and practice
around mindfulness and its application to improved parenting effectiveness.

Mindfulness is an area of expertise of mine in my own research, teaching, and practice. It is clear that
Lana is passionate and knowledgeable about research and practice around mindfulness and is eager to
apply it more in her own personal and professional life. She will likely go on to integrate mindfulness
practices into her future career and allow others to experience it’s many proven benefits (e.g., such as the
positive impacts mindfulness has demonstrated on learning, academic achievement, health,
resilience/coping, and interpersonal relationships).

In the time I’ve spent with Lana, I believe I have gotten to know her fairly well as a person. She is mature,
motivated, dedicated, and dependable. Lana always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. She is
a definite pleasure to be around. Her enthusiasm motivates those around her and sets an example for
other students. I am confident that Lana possesses many academic strengths and personal qualities that
will make her very successful in her future studies and all of her future endeavors. I look forward to
supporting her however I can along the way as she achieves her goals and realizes her dreams.

Sincerely,

Anomi G. Bearden, PhD

Psychology Instructor, School of Arts and Sciences
Red Deer College | 100 College Boulevard | Red Deer | AB | T4N 5H5
Phone: 403.356.4857 e-mail: anomi.bearden@rdc.ab.ca
www.rdc.ab.ca | when you get here you understand