March 24, 2017

On behalf of Trebby Ellington

M.Ed Higher Education Candidate for Graduation
Loyola University Chicago
May 2017

To E-Portfolio Committee,
I am honored to provide a letter of promise for Trebby Ellington. Being a part of a cohort with
Trebby has been instrumental in not only my growth and tenacity over the past two years, but to
that of our peers as well. I have been privileged to take numerous courses with her and also work
alongside her for multiple class projects. I have been able to experience first-hand and admire
from a distance her attention to detail, critical reflection, and integration of course content into
both her academic and professional capacities. As a fellow practitioner, I am elated to know that
this program is cultivating colleagues who embody the ideals of social justice within the field of
higher education.
My experiences with Trebby are multifaceted. During our time spent together she has served as a
co-constructor of knowledge, an accountability partner, confidant, and role model. While each
course presented an invaluable perspective on the field, Trebby, without hesitation, used formal
and informal theories to shape not only her understanding of higher education but to provide
criticisms as well. I am in awe of her ability to hold constant the competing demands of care for
persons and administrative tasks in her assistantship with Northwestern University (NU)
residence life. Similarly, she has used that transferable skill in her support of her peers.
In an effort to gain a variety of experiences, Trebby took a leap of faith and engaged in her first
of two internships with Georgia Southern University. Her summer spent embedded in another
collegiate culture illuminated the diverse dynamics within the field influenced by geography,
resource allocation, and institutional structure, to name a few. By the same token that external
factors influence and alter spaces, Trebby understands the same is to be understood regarding
students. Examining all of her professional experiences, Trebby, with keen consideration, seeks
to influence the field of higher education in a way that calls attention to injustices leading up to
and within higher education for underrepresented students.
Her lived experiences as a low-income, first-generation college student, and woman of color
influence her drive to work diligently as a higher education professional and advocate. With her
journey serving as intrinsic motivation, Trebby continued to gain programming experience by
taking on a second internship working with Student Enrichment Services (SES) at NU. SES
focus primarily on students from low-income and/or first-generation backgrounds fell right in
alignment with her interests. The time she spent over the course of her entire final year of her
masters program expanded her understanding of identities. Becoming more sensitive to the use
and meaning of those identities, concepts initiated in Student Development Theory and then
further shaped by Leadership Development have allowed for Trebby to challenge and shift
efforts to serving this population in a way that would render outcomes truly designed with a
population in mind that was initially omitted from early theories.
A constant core tenant that has drawn me to Trebby has been her growing faith. She ventured
along this journey to obtain a credential where the byproduct would serve the multitudes.
Whether or not she received accolades for her work was secondary. As our time in the program
draws to an end, to see the great impact she will make to this field has just begun. I cannot say
enough how much her presence and authenticity has influenced me over these two years. I am
grateful beyond measure to have crossed paths with her and gained not only a wonderful
colleague, but friend. The entire profession will be indebted to the work, research and presence
of Trebby no matter where it leads her. Without hesitation, please contact me if I may be able to
provide further detail by either email ahumbles@luc.edu or call (708) 415-3613.
Sincerely,

Alyssa D. Humbles
Alyssa D. Humbles
M.Ed Higher Education Candidate
May 2017