Taraneh Lajevardi April 10, 2012
Columbia College,
500-555 Seymour Street,
Vancouver BC CANADA V6B 6J9
Tel: 778-228-7607
RE: ELTOUM, AHMED
To whom it may concern,
I have had the pleasure of having AHMED ELTOUMas one of my chemistry 121 and 123 students during fall 2011 and winter 2012 semesters at Columbia College in Vancouver, BC Canada.
I have been teaching first year general chemistry courses at Columbia College since September 2011. Prior to my employment at Columbia College I was employed by BCIT as a Chemistry Instructor and taught general chemistry and organic chemistry labs within the Chemical and Environmental Sciences Technology program.
The small class sizes at Columbia College have enabled me to create a student centered learning environment and assess my students on a regular basis. Therefore, I feel very confident in recommendingAhmed for the Mechanical Engineering programhe has applied for.
I describe Ahmed as a highly motivated, responsible and hardworking student. Ahmedhas never missed any lecture, lab or tutorial session. He is always fully present and makes sure he understands every concept I introduce in class. He thinks critically and asksgood questions abouttheoretical concepts as well as their applications. In chemistry 123, I introduce students to organic chemistry reaction mechanisms and “arrow pushing”. While most students find this component of chem. 123 very challenging, Ahmed has proven to have an excellent grasp of the organic chemistry reactions and mechanisms. Ahmed’s ability to “retro-synthesize” a complex organic moleculeand propose plausible synthetic steps and mechanisms truly amazes me as this is something that is expected of a second year organic chemistry student!
In addition to being academically strong in chemistry, I have found Ahmed to be a diligent studentwith a great attitude. We often have our lab sessions during the evenings;the experiments are often long and involve new concepts and skills. Ahmed has shown excellent time management in executing the experiments and always makes sure he completes all the calculations before leaving the lab. Ahmed is also a very caring and respectful individual, and I truly enjoy having him in my class.
In conclusion, I have known Ahmed as a bright, hardworking and academically strong student with an average of 92% in chemistry 123 so far. I feel very confident in recommending him for an Engineering program. Please do not hesitate to contact me at r further information.
Best Regards,
Taraneh Lajevardi
Chemistry Instructor, Columbia College