"A Gift That Lasts For a Lifetime"

December 11, 2004

Dear Sir or Madam:

      Over the past several years, I have written dozens of letters of recommendation for friends and acquaintances. None has given me greater pleasure than to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Henryette Neal. As I explain below, because of her quiet grace, professional manner and integrity, Mrs. Neal will prove to be an exceptional tutor and role model and I hold her in the highest esteem.

      I was born on the island of Jamaica to parents who were British citizens. As a child, my mother and grandparents persistently tried to teach me the proper social graces and manners that they knew I would need as an adult. I resisted all their attempts. Instead, I preferred to play tag and soccer with my older brother and our friends or to go to the beach or movies. Good manners and social graces were simply not important to me and I made my feelings on the issue conspicuously clear to my elders. It did not help that when I first emigrated to this country I lived in the South Bronx, one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York. Surviving and living day to day became more important that learning which fork went with my salad and which went with my dinner!

      Fast forward twenty years. I am in my last year of law school and on the verge of graduating. As a law student, I worked in many large law firms with clients who were multi-millionaires and Fortune 500 companies. I knew when interviewing for a permanent position with these law firms that they would not hire someone who could not effectively address their clients needs and who did not know how to interact socially with their clients. It was then that I became painfully aware that my lack of social graces and good manners were my stumbling blocks. You see, no matter how intelligent or bright or smart I was, these law firms would never hire me if they felt I could not efficiently communicate or have lunch with their clients.

      Recognizing this fallacy, I looked around for someone who could help me overcome this handicap. After months of researching, I found my saving grace....Mrs. Henryette Neal. I, along with my best friend, Sandra, made our first informational appointment with Mrs. Neal to find out about the “Steppin Out” program. From the very beginning we were impressed. Mrs. Neal met us at the front door with a warm, sincere smile and invited us into one of the cleanest, most inviting home. She was dressed quite elegantly and her demeanor was more motherly and loving than uptight. (Unfortunately, I retained my child-like view of a so-called uppity, black wanna-be). She totally shattered any preconceived ideas I had and I looked forward to beginning my transformation with Mrs. Neal at the helm.

      And so began my metamorphosis from ‘around-the-way’ girl to mature, dynamic, ‘take-on-the world’ woman. Every week was exciting and I eagerly looked forward to the lesson Mrs. Neal would teach me. With each passing week, I noticed a difference in myself. I was no longer solemn and defensive; I smiled more, I was more receptive to new ideas and felt happy in my soul. I felt I could take on the world, one fork at a time, and I loved it!

      Apart from loving the new me and the new Sandra, I loved Mrs. Neal, my new friend, just as much. I looked forward to seeing her every week. She was the mother figure I was missing and I wanted so much to get her approval. Mrs. Neal set very high standards for us and we wanted so much to not let her down.

      Now, fast forward to today. I am a lawyer living in Florida and Sandra is on her way to bigger and better things (she is married and moving to Atlanta with her husband). I am happy and look forward to everyday because I know it is a new chance for me to make something great of myself. Mrs. Neal may have taught me how to sit at a dinner table and what to say in a crowd, but she did more than that. She taught me how to love myself, how to want better for myself, how to look to God for the answers and to look not to my own fallacies but my strengths. Without a doubt, I know I am a better person for having met Mrs. Neal and taking her program and you will too. I hold Mrs. Neal in the highest regard and she is one of the women I most want to emulate.

      Mrs. Neal, words can hardly explain how much I appreciate the program and how much more I adore you. I wish you much blessings and I pray that God will shine his most favorable light on you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I miss you.

Always yours,

Tina Patricia Smith (Esq.)