Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Professor Diane M. Donatio who passed away unexpectedly during the summer of 2005. Professor Donatio, Diane to all who knew her, taught Writing and Communication courses at Lasell College for eleven years. She was an exceptionally talented teacher who dedicated herself to student success. Students loved her classes and were constantly trying to get into them even when they were full.

Although Diane loved teaching all her courses, she particularly enjoyed Writing I and Writing II. She relished working with first-year students and constantly pushed her students to do their best. Because of Diane’s belief and support, her students worked hard and felt proud of the essays they wrote and how their writing improved over the course of a semester.

Because of the generosity of Diane’s family and friends, we are able to give awards to outstanding essays from Writing I. Selecting the award winners is always a difficult task. As one faculty member said, “If Diane were here, she would have wanted to give every student an award because she would have found something great in every essay.” We certainly know that Diane would have loved to read every essay in this book, and we hope that you enjoy it as much as she would have.