Justin Walters

1401 Belvedere Dr.

Kokomo, IN 46902
(706) 580-5287
Jbwalters1984@gmail.com

5/19/2019
Sheri Gordon
Berea College
200 N. Main Street
Berea, KY 40404
Dear Ms. Gordon:
I am writing to you in reference to the position of Student Life Team Member after seeing it listed on
Higheredjobs.com. I just finished up my Master’s in International Relations at the University of Indianapolis and am
looking to step into a career in Student Affairs and Residence Life. To that end I was immediately interested in this
opening at Berea College, an institution I am somewhat familiar with already due to my mother having worked for a
time at FAHE in Berea. My own life experience as an adult has primarily involved working with students in a
variety of settings so the career path feels like it would be a natural fit. I believe in the importance of community and
have spent around ten years of my life working to create it among young people in various contexts. Having worked
and studied along with students ages 16-25 for almost all of my adult life I feel like I would bring a relevant skill set
to the position, and would be able to pick up on the necessary concepts and responsibilities in short order.
My experiences working as a youth leader with churches and organizations whose high school and college
participants numbered in the hundreds, and who particularly, was engaged as a Grad Staff (college volunteers)
Director for a non-profit organization, Teen Advisors Inc., leads me to believe the potential is there for me to thrive
as part of the Student Life team at Berea College. What I believe I bring to the table is an ability to form meaningful
relationships with young people while encouraging personal growth and accountability. Most of my friends and
strong relationships that I have to this day were formed during that season of my life. I could point to numerous
examples of people that I have mentored or discipled over the years who have gone onto become successful adults.
Ultimately, my focus in life has been to help people to grow to be the best version of themselves that I can help them
to be. I feel that it is this passion that suits me for a position like this more than any other. In helping people to grow,
I believe that a whole person focused education is the most important component in making that happen. I am
particularly interested in being involved with a school that maintains such an enduring commitment to social justice,
respect for diversity as a strength, and at the center a belief in the universal brotherhood of man through the
redeeming love of God.
I could go on and on about my strengths relevant to this position, but I am also just as happy to provide external
references of people that can attest to those same strengths. I am earnestly looking for a chance to get my foot in the
door with a career that I believe in, and will utilize existing skill sets as well as help me to develop new ones. I
believe a position like the one in question would satisfy those goals, and allow me to once again deploy my talents
in an effective and fruitful manner. Thank you for any consideration Berea College will give to my application, and I
hope to further correspond with you about the possibility of setting up an interview. If there are any questions you
might have about me that my resume doesn’t make clear I am happy to clarify and will gladly provide any additional
references upon request that you deem helpful to my candidacy.
Yours most sincerely,
Justin Walters