2/18/92

In Re: Rafael Giraldo

To Whom it May Concern:

For the past semester I have enjoyed the opportunity to have Rafael Giraldo as one of my majors in sociology. Through my capacity as his academic advisor and his instructor in general sociology courses I have come to know him as a reflective, serious student capable of higher abstraction, adept at taking positions on major issues and supporting them in a creative and empirical manner, and willing to go the extra mile in quest of an idea.

Although a relatively new member of our community, Mr. Giraldo demonstrates a unique interest in its structure and development. Moreover, given his diplomatic background - his father is a former Colombian Ambassador to Czechoslovakia -- and related  exposure to European culture, along with a fine formative education in international schools, he is fortunate to have nurtured within him a sophistication and commitment to scholarly advancement and critical thinking.

At this time, I find Rafael to be a man of high morals, pleasant, affable disposition, with good leadership skills, and a more mature orientation to life in general. Correlatively, he has a sense of orderliness in his life, plans well, and is sensitive to priorities. For example, quite typical for him, he expressed concern that while he had the minimum qualifications to apply for an advanced degree in this institution, he rejected the possibility in favor or earning an American baccalaureate. This experience, he reasoned, would give him a better basis upon which to build an academic history. At a time when students are so careerist oriented, I find this most refreshing.

As an academic with 25 years of experience, as well as one who is himself a law school product, it is with pleasure and confidence that I recommend Rafael Giraldo, a worthy applicant for a law degree. 

Sincerely yours,

Gary Feinberg

Assistant Professor, 

Sociology Chairman