Devita Bishundat letter of support.

1. March 4, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
Over the course of the past year and a half, I have had the distinct honor of getting to know
Karen Berg as a classmate, colleague and social justice advocate. Karen is a shining
example of what it means to be a scholar­practitioner.
Within the classroom, Karen has made invaluable contributions to enhance the dialogue while
encouraging her classmates to share their thoughts and ideas. As someone who entered this
program with substantial work experience, she used her previous professional experiences as
a way to enrich classroom conversations. When her classmates had difficulty finding
examples of connecting theory to real­world experiences, Karen was able to draw on her
extensive career to breathe life into the frameworks. From critical social theories to text on
organization and governance, she possesses an astute ability to connect theory to practice
both inside and outside the classroom.
Furthermore, Karen consistently applies the knowledge learned in the classroom to her
graduate assistantship in Student Services. This is evident through a professional
development opportunity she coordinated with the Department of Student Diversity &
Multicultural Affairs for her colleagues. Karen noticed a significant gap in training regarding
supporting undocumented students at Loyola. This example demonstrates Karen's
commitment to advocating for student populations that are consistently marginalized in higher
education; she helps to provide voice to those individuals who are missing from the table.
The Higher Education program requires all students to discuss issues of power, privilege, and
oppression on a consistent basis. Karen critically analyzed each text and theory to assess its
applicability and impact on both dominant and marginalized communities. She raised critical
questions in a thoughtful manner that challenged not only her peers’ thought process, but her
own as well. She never shied away from a difficult conversation and demonstrated a level of
vulnerability that enabled the classroom to become a brave space in which individuals could
be their authentic selves. Furthermore, Karen's reflective and analytical skills were evident in
the classroom through the deconstruction of theories. She was able to disrupt the status quo
and identify inequities that exist in readings, while simultaneously creating strategies to
reconstruct theories to make them applicable to her professional practice.
In addition to getting to know her as a classmate, I have had the pleasure of serving alongside
Karen in her role as the Vice President of the Higher Education Student Association (HESA).
She leads in a manner that emphasizes inclusivity and empowers others to take action. Most
recently, she has led our organization's advocacy efforts to reverse a current hiring freeze
within the School of Education. Though Karen's background in grassroots organizing would
have made it easy for her to declare a vision and action steps, she instead brought the team
together to collectively create a vision that included all members of the HESA community.

2. Furthermore, she listened empathetically as individuals raised concerns or questions to
ensure that each voice was heard. Karen's ethics, passions and values ground her
transformative leadership style, and she is undoubtedly a leader who embodies the Ignatian
values of being a person for others.
It would be remiss if I did not share that one of Karen's greatest strengths is her commitment
to becoming a better leader and person. In the multiple roles she plays within the program,
she is conscious of her actions and constantly seeks constructive feedback. She is critical of
her actions and conscious of how decisions impact others. During HESA executive board
meetings and one­on­one conversations, Karen is almost always the person to initiate
soliciting feedback to not only improve the issue or program at hand, but strengthen her
leadership skills as well.
Karen's passion for equity, social justice and community are infectious. She leads by example
and is one of the most thoughtful individuals I have encountered in the program. Karen has
emerged as a leader among her peers and provides unconditional support to those with
whom she works. She has made a long­lasting impact at Loyola University Chicago and I look
forward to seeing the indelible mark she will make at the next step in her professional journey.
Sincerely,
Devita Bishundat