In the photo, Kellelynn Lofton holds a copy of Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, the award-winning book of writing guides from Rubin. Lofton, a WBL student, used the book’s “storytelling” cover letter method to help her land a sought-after promotion at Wild Adventures, one of the top employers in Lowndes County, GA.

Kellelynn Lofton knew she had to be at her best.

The Lowndes High School senior wanted to move up from safety trainer to team lead at Wild Adventures, a theme park and zoo in Lowndes County, GA.

To land the promotion, Lofton had to compete with other up-and-coming Wild Adventures employees and sell herself through a compelling cover letter and interview.

That’s where Jason Van Nus, the work-based learning (WBL) coordinator for Lowndes County Schools, stepped in.

Van Nus uses the Emerge online program to teach in-demand communication skills and draws upon the Rubin book of writing templates called Wait, How Do I Write This Email? (provided to each student as an ebook).

Van Nus helped Lofton write a Rubin-inspired cover letter that demonstrates how Lofton helps guests at Wild Adventures create lasting memories.

The cover letter was so memorable that the hiring manager, who goes through 400-500 applications to hire park-wide during the busy spring/summer season, was able to recite Lofton’s story back to Van Nus when the two spoke in February 2020.

“The hiring manager remembered Kellelynn’s application right way,” said Van Nus. “Kellelynn’s storytelling cover letter allowed the hiring manager to visualize how hard she works.”

Bottom line: Lofton landed the promotion. For the 2020 season at Wild Adventures, she will be a team lead and supervise team members in the portion of the park that includes roller coasters.

“The Rubin program taught me that it’s better to give the employer an example of my customer service skills than to say I have strong customer service skills,” said Lofton. “I’m excited to start in my new role this season!”

Scroll to the bottom to see Lofton’s cover letter!

Emerge: A New Tool for WBL Programs That Gets Results

Van Nus visits classrooms across the county and, during his workshops, incorporates Rubin online material (ebooks, videos and activities). Rubin helps Van Nus to teach the following:

• Email etiquette
• Resumes
• Cover letters
• Phone etiquette
• Networking
• And much more

In the video, Van Nus holds a copy of Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, the award-winning book of writing/speaking examples for employability skills.

Again, the book is provided as an ebook in the Emerge online program.

Want to explore Emerge? Request a 30-day free trial here!

Video transcript:

“Hello, my name is Jason Van Nus, and I am the system-level coordinator for Lowndes County Schools in the programs of work-based learning and youth apprenticeship.

I first met [Rubin Education founder] Danny [Rubin] in summer 2019 at our GACTE summer conference, and I gained information about the program and this material.

I decided to implement into the training and recruiting for my program, and I have really enjoyed it.

The program is exceptional and has built-in scaffolding. I’ve used it with special ed classes. I’ve used it with honors classes. No matter what level of student I’m working with, they are all engaged. They are all producing good quality materials.

Resumes, communication…the kids love it. And it’s been an effective tool for me.”

“Storytelling” Cover Letter from Kellelynn Lofton

Dear [name of employer],

No one wants to make a little girl cry!

It was a normal day at the park; I was at Crunch’s Caboose in Discovery Outpost. The park had just opened and the day had officially begun. I observed a family excitedly walking toward the rides. Among the members of this family was a little girl, who was holding her brand new season pass, and she was so excited. I welcomed her and her family to the park and asked if she wanted to ride the Crunch’s Caboose. She was hesitant at first, but she was willing to be brave. She wanted her mom to ride with her, but I had to inform her that adults could not ride this particular ride. I assured the little girl that she would do just fine by herself.

Once she was seated and fastened securely, I asked if she was okay–she didn’t respond. So, I looked toward her parents seeking their feedback. They said that she was fine, so I continued. Right before the ride began, the upset little girl frantically tried to unbuckle the seatbelt–calling for her‘Mommy.’ I knew immediately she wasn’t going to complete this ride without an adult.

Because it is against protocol for adults to ride this particular ride, I had no choice but to remove the little girl from Crunch’s Caboose. She was disappointed but relieved to be back with her parents. I was saddened as I wanted her to enjoy her experience at Wild Adventures–after all, it was only a few minutes ago that she was ecstatic to be a season pass holder. I quickly obtained a map of the park and pointed out other rides offered at Wild Adventures that would accommodate both an adult and a child to ride at the same.

As the day concluded, who did I look up and see, but the same little girl accompanied by her parents. They returned to my station after a day of enjoying the attractions and rides at Wild Adventures so that the little girl could conquer Crunch’s Caboose all by herself.

Hello, my name is ______, and I am applying to be a Team Leader at Wild Adventures.

As your next Team Leader, I will bring this same level of attention to customer satisfaction,
communication, and overall customer experience as stated in the Seasonal Leadership Expectations.

My goal is making guests’ experiences enjoyable and memorable. Communication is key, and sometimes, as a team leader one has to know how to interpret both verbal and non-verbal cues from guests in order to give them the best experience possible.

Well, would you hire Kellelynn? Her poise and professionalism shine through.

Stories do all the selling. 

Request your free trial of the Emerge online program!