For the third consecutive year, students from the Program for the Advancement to College English (PACE) presented carefully-crafted, thought-provoking essays at the Rockville Science Center in November.

Launched as an innovative pilot program in spring 2012, PACE aims to increase completion rates for developmental students in college-level English courses. Each English 101A PACE (Introduction to College Writing) class brings together college-ready students with PACE or developmental students, and each class features an in-class tutor who assists for 15 semester hours. Since the program began, between 75 and 80 percent of PACE students have successfully completed 101A credit-level English each semester.

Rebecca Eggenschwiler, professor of English and chair of the PACE Committee, led the committee in hosting the third annual PACE student conference, an event that featured the outstanding work of seven students. Among the topics examined were boxing and poetry ("Caged Fighters") and childhood trauma ("A Sequence of Unfortunate Events"). Prizes were awarded at the end.

Once again, this conference demonstrated how Montgomery College's PACE program continues to foster success for a wide array of learners in the credit-level English composition classroom. When the expert support of teachers and tutors combines with student determination, students flourish.