May 25, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
Please allow me to tell you about the personal characteristics and traits that I believe
personify my daughter, Jessica Scherer. Although I would love to say Jessica is perfect in every
way, the reality is no one is perfect. However, her flaws do not deter me from viewing her as a
Jessica as a young woman who epitomizes strength of character, determination, inspiration,
persistence, and a wonderfully jovial attitude toward life. These traits, which her father and I
observe daily, began early in her life and were shaped a great deal through some of the adversity
she faced.
When Jessica was only 3 years old we noticed something unusual with her eyes. She had
trouble seeing and her eyes seemed to move differently. After several doctor visits she was
ultimately diagnosed with a severe eye abnormality which, when left untreated, would lead to
blindness. This diagnosis began a series of life altering eye surgeries which she would endure
throughout her childhood and adolescence. This has definitely left its mark on her life. In
addition, she suffered from harsh allergies and asthma, which combined with her vision
problems, had the potential of restricting her from enjoying many normal childhood experiences.
However, Jessica would have none of that! She wanted to do what everyone else was doing and
she wanted to do it better. The older she got, the more she pushed herself. She became so
determined to excel, that she often had unrealistic expectations of herself. Holding herself to
such high standards often lead her to judge herself rather harshly which put undue pressure on
her. It has only been recently that she is beginning to understand that she has limits.
Throughout Jessica’s childhood and adolescence, her father was deployed numerous
times to extremely dangerous combat zones for extended periods of time. At first, she did not
understand why he was gone so long. It was difficult to go through so many childhood
experiences, both good and bad, without her dad. As she grew older, though, she came to
understand and appreciate his dedication and sacrifice and wanted to emulate those
characteristics. She also developed bold patriotism and deep love of country which shines
brightly in her today.
Jessica’s childhood experiences have inspired her to enter the field of biomolecular
engineering in order to support research and potential treatment of diseases that afflict people of
all ages. She has a deep desire to contribute to the field of medicine and science. Her work
ethics, along with her pure determination have helped her to succeed in school and
extracurricular activities. Although she often has difficulties accepting her shortcomings, she
remains steadfastly determined to accomplish her goals.
If I had to pick one trait that I am most in awe of it would be her ability to be a serious,
hardworking student who never forgets to take time to be silly, have fun, and enjoy life. One
minute she is performing ridiculously difficult equations and listening to classical music, and the
next she is watching Spongebob Squarepants cartoons or being silly with her friends. As her
mother, I know she will be successful in whatever she chooses to pursue in her life because she
approaches her goals with passion and integrity. I have no doubt some day she will make her
mark on all of our lives in some way or another.
Respectfully,
Melisa Scherer