February 16, 2016

To: Sonesta Resorts

RE: Letter of reference on behalf of Marissa MacDermaid.

I am a professor in the Marketing & Hospitality Services Administration Department in the College of Business at Central Michigan University, where I have been teaching Marketing and Hospitality management courses for the past sixteen years. At CMU, I have been honored with every major teaching award in the College of Business, as well as the university-wide Teaching Excellence Award. In addition, I have been named the Carnegie Foundation’s CASE Teaching Professor of the Year for the state of Michigan. While my student evaluations are among the top at the university, my average student GPA is considerably below university and college averages. I am a demanding professor and take requests for letters of reference very seriously; they must be earned.

I have known Marissa since 2013, having been her professor for three courses, as well as her academic and internship advisor throughout her academic career. Because of the nature and length of this relationship, I feel I have had the opportunity to get to know her very well. During this time, I have found her to be an excellent student with perfect attendance who has consistently demonstrated a genuine interest in the hospitality field. She is an active participant in the classroom discussions, demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills and is always well prepared for class. It has been a pleasure to watch her grow and develop in the classroom from a reserved sophomore to a mature, confident senior willing to challenge and be challenged in the classroom. As a senior, she is a leader in the classroom!

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Marissa has excelled in her internship and work experiences. While only 1 internship is required as part of our degree, she has completed 3 excellent internships. It is a rare occurrence for one student to have such a breadth and depth of experiences during their internships.

Marissa MacDermaid has demonstrated to my complete satisfaction that she is a focused and ambitious young person with a passionate interest in growth and development. She has differentiated herself in my mind from nearly all of the persons in her peer group and I believe that she has an exceptional career ahead of her in the hospitality field. She has my highest recommendation.

If I can provide you with any further information, please do not hesitate to call on me.

Enthusiastically,

Gary B. GagnonAssistant ProfessorMarketing & Hospitality Services AdministrationCentral Michigan UniversityCell: 989-400-7198Email: gary.gagnon@cmich.edu