December 10, 2019

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to recommend Korina Kim to you. I have known Korina since August 2019
when I became her Field Instructor for her fifth year internship at MSU. Since that time, I have been
consistently impressed with the diligence and preparation Korina has demonstrated in both of her
internship placements. During first semester, Korina completed her internship in a 5th grade classroom at
Pinecrest Elementary School in East Lansing, MI. Next month, for second semester, she will be interning in
a Special Education Resource Room at Haslett Middle School in Haslett, MI, working with the 5 th- 8th
graders, supporting them in the general education curriculum as well as helping them work toward their
IEP objectives.
In her general education placement, Korina assumed all classroom responsibilities throughout
the semester-long internship. This included instruction in math and reading as well as collaborating and
communicating with team teachers and other staff to create and execute daily lesson plans and
differentiated units in accordance with the Common Core State Standards and East Lansing Public Schools
curriculum. In her first semester internship setting, she adeptly designed and implemented student-
centered lessons to meet the myriad needs of her students through creative and academically solid
teaching while effectively implementing an array of classroom management techniques that served her
most challenging students well. She and her mentor teacher, Ms. Cynthia Goff, created a strong learning
community of acceptance and trust within their classroom.
As a part of the Global Education Cohort at MSU, Korina had the opportunity to explore schools
in China and teach a lesson to a third grade class while there. In May 2020, Korina will be certified in
Learning Disabilities Special Education K-12, Elementary Education K-8, and Social Studies (K-8).
Throughout her undergraduate education and internship year, she has been passionate about finding
meaningful ways to work with diverse populations through education and has actively pursued avenues in
which to do so. During the summer of 2019, she was the Housing and Activities Coordinator at the
summer program at MSU’s College of Engineering where she was required to lead a staff of six mentors
who were responsible for the well being and education of high school students. During her senior year at
MSU she was a classroom assistant at the Gardner International School in Lansing, MI, an urban setting.
During her undergraduate years, she worked as an Assistant Early Childhood Teacher at Kindercare
College of Learning Centers in East Lansing, MI; the Read to Succeed Program at Pinecrest Elementary School in East
Education Lansing, MI; and as an Assistant Group Leader at Camp Walden in Diamond Point, NY, where she spent
two months supervising and advising thirty 14-year old girls.
Korina is highly self-motivated, continually striving to perfect her teaching skills in all areas. She
Department of is a very hard worker, tenacious with any task she undertakes. In my many observations of Korina in the
COUNSELING, classroom, I was impressed by her innovative and creative teaching. In addition, her academic record is
EDUCATIONAL stellar and has consistently been on the Dean’s List at MSU. She is responsible, highly organized and very
PSYCHOLOGY, AND likeable. Her mentor teacher and I have all commented on how naturally comfortable she is conversing
SPECIAL with her classroom students as well as school staff and parents. She is caring and empathic and while she
EDUCATION is eager to teach others, she also has a strong desire to learn from them. The dedication and commitment
to excellence that Korina embodies will be a valuable tool as she continues her career in the field of
education.
Michigan State University
620 Farm Lane It is with great pleasure that I recommend Korina to you as a qualified and well rounded
335 Erickson Hall professional with a demonstrated ability to deal with students and colleagues, as well as a dedication and
East Lansing, MI 48824 commitment to meeting the needs and educating all children. I am confident that she would be an asset to
any school in which she decides to teach.
517-355-1837 Please feel free to contact me with any further questions that you may have.
Fax: 517-353-6393 Sincerely,
education.msu.edu
Susan G. Doneson

Susan Doneson, Field Instructor

Cell phone#: 517-402-0509
Email Addresses: donesons@msu.edu OR susan.doneson@gmail.com

MSU is an affirmative-action,
equal-opportunity employer.