Dana Livelli

Dana Livelli of Ringwood, N.J. is an English Literature & Education +1 MASE Major. She has a 3.89 GPA and is a member of Sigma Tau Delta International Honors Society. Dana is proud of her climb to get here as a student as she struggled greatly in high school, both mentally and academically, as she grieved the loss of her mother and faced social rejection. 

At Ramapo, Dana has been active in several organizations including Literature Club and Open Mic Nights. She values her time in those spaces as they give her the ability to improve her craft of singing and writing by participating in performance and workshopping opportunities.

Off-campus, Dana mentors and tutors children. She also works as a Behavior Technician for people with Autism.

After graduation, as a future educator, Dana hopes to create an environment of acceptance and growth. She also hopes to challenge the ways we identify student success and to plant seeds of opportunity in the minds of our youth.

Awarded Scholarships

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2024

Franklin, Bonnie Driskill Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established by John Franklin to honor his late wife Bonnie, who served as assistant vice president for Marketing and Communications at Ramapo College. In creating this scholarship, Mr. Franklin sought to honor Bonnie’s passion for reading, and how she instilled that passion in her children and grandchildren. He also sought to memorialize Bonnie’s devotion to family, children, education, art, literature and democratic values.

In writing down his thoughts on the impetus for the Bonnie Franklin Memorial Scholarship, John Franklin wrote, “Bonnie Driskill Franklin was an early reader … who never stopped reading all her life.” He described how Bonnie passed this gift to her children, a tradition they continue with their children. “And so her children and grandchildren have learned much about art, literature and the interconnectedness of all humanity,” he wrote.

John describes how Bonnie translated this gift into her work life and as a volunteer. “In her career Bonnie was engaged in research, writing and public relations at the Cincinnati Public Library, County College of Morris and Ramapo College where she was assistant vice president for Marketing and Communications. She was part of many reading groups, the League of Women Voters, Women in Communication in New Jersey, The Unitarian Universalist Church and other organizations.”

“This scholarship is dedicated with the hope that others, especially men, will be inspired to take an interest in children’s literature and its use in helping children and parents enjoy life fully,” John continues. “It is hoped that through children’s literature we will find ways to promote tolerance and understanding of ourselves and others.”

Specifically, John’s purposes in establishing the Bonnie Franklin Memorial Scholarship are to encourage and support students who are interested in children’s literature as a means of helping children develop intellectually and emotionally; the development of social and emotional intelligence as a part of our education system; advocating for children’s literature as a means of helping parents do a better job of reading to their children; advocating for children’s literature as a means of helping men find their role in child development; developing knowledge and understanding of literature that helps children appreciate diversity of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, gender preference, and physical ability.