Special Thanks and Dedications

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the following people:

To Dr. Elena Anne Marchisotto, my thesis advisor – the road which has brought us to this point has been long and winding – at times even filled with obstacles and detours. Thank you for your patience and continued guidance along the way. Working with you has been a rewarding and memorable experience. Thank you also for encouraging me to teach in the Developmental Mathematics Program, and for believing that I could be a teacher, even when I didn’t believe it myself.

To Dr. Ali Zakeri and Dr. Helena Noronha – thank you for giving your time to serve on my thesis committee. To Dr. Werner Horn – thank you for stepping in as the newest member of my committee. I truly appreciate your kindness.

To Dr. Michael Grady and the Mathematics Department at Loyola Marymount University – thank you for providing me with a strong undergraduate foundation in mathematics. Special thanks to Dr. Patrick Shanahan for introducing me to Modern Geometry and also for encouraging me to continue my studies in graduate school, and to the late Dr. Michael Cullen, for inspiring me, for making me laugh, and for reminding me that “when you lift others, you lift yourself.”

To Sharon Lima – you are a dear friend who has always believed in me as well as my future in mathematics. Thank you for all your encouragement and all the fun we had at LMU.

To my husband, Tim – I can’t thank you enough for all the support you have given me throughout this journey. Thank you for being my proof-reader, for keeping me company on the trips out to Malibu to work with Elena, for being my shoulder to cry on when things got stressful, and most of all, for being the wonderful person that you are.

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