Looking For Hope

Chapter 2: Securing Letters of Recommendation

Note: the mood boards for Moira and Neesa were the works of @_greyxkalopsia_and should not be used without her permission. 

It was a cloudy Saturday evening and the stars barely shone. The crickets went out of hiding and started a chorus among the orange fallen leaves. Moira and Neesa sat down in a dimly-lit café, notebooks and a laptop in front of them as they sipped their steaming hot mocha latte and cappucino. There was jazz music playing softly in the background.

"Here we go, Moira. Let's brainstorm and make a bullet list of things you want to tell Dr. Kinoya so that I can better understand how to help you draft the email," Neesa began patiently.

"Well, I guess I want to start by disclosing my developmental disorder so that he wouldn't be caught unprepared when we finally meet in person. From there, I want to ask him what types of previous employment he would suggest for someone who aims to become a candidate for a position with his research fellowship. You see, the thing is that I am not even sure I am employable. I mean, I might be able to get a job at a pizza parlor or as a baby sitter, but those are minimum-wage and might not sound impressive, you feel me?" Moira blurted out.

"I feel you. Well, we can always go check the online job board to see what job opening suits you in our region but I think asking Dr. Kinoya for his opinion would be wise too," Neesa put her hand on her chin, stroking it. "So, about your developmental disorder. What specifically do you need him to know? That you are socially awkward and have sensory processing issues? That you can be perceived as slow and might have delayed responses to questions that are asked out of the blue? That you have different cognitive abilities?" Neesa continued to narrow down the list.

"Yeah, those too, but mainly I want him to know that I have my own talents and my passion shouldn't be dismissed just because of my disability. I also want to ask him if he has ever worked with anyone on the autism spectrum or anyone with Down syndrome or anything like that. I also want to know what he has done to discourage bullying in his classes because I do not want to be discriminated against or be left out or abused," Moira explained.

The cousins worked diligently until the café's closing hour, bouncing off ideas and typing and retyping words to make sure that the email had the right tone. They ordered more drinks to keep their spirits high and the elderly lady who owned the café sympathized with them and gave them two free plates of cheese-topped brownies. In the end, this was the email that the two girls came up with:

Dear Dr. Lee Kinoya,

My name is Moira Johnson and I heard about your research from my cousin Neesa, who shadowed one of your graduate assistants at the Blue orchid University of Xenobiology last summer for her high school-mandated internship. I am interested in the work you have done to study the almost-extinct hybrid species, the mighty Gaburs, and wonder if you can give me insights into what exactly you are looking for when you said you need a new freshman research assistant from a foreign planet for cultural exchange.

I have a developmental disorder that may affect my learning style and, if I get accepted by the university and take your classes you may need to work with me to make sure I receive reasonable accommodations, but I believe I should be given a fair shot in applying for the program. Neesa mentioned that you prefer someone with multiple job experiences, but I do not currently have any and I am looking for a job that someone with my disability can realistically excel in.

To give you more context, please let me elaborate on my strength and weakness. Ever since my sophomore year, I have volunteered in my high school's laboratory as my teacher's helper as she grades my peers' weekly reports on chemistry and physics experiments. I also like painting and have my own art studio at home. However, despite my interests in science and my artistic tendency, I do not always function well socially and have had cases where I offended people due to misunderstanding. I also find direct eye contact terrifying and might misconstrue what someone says to me as I am still learning to deduce subtle non-verbal clues. Because of all those obstacles, if I do get a job I would like it to be something that satisfies me academically but is not too draining on me to the point that I have meltdowns.