The Donald L. Landry Awards
Graduate Award: Caitlin Imparato is currently enrolled in the Ed.S. Reading Specialist program at Gordon College. She is an elementary school interventionist and serves on her school district’s Literacy Leadership Team and ELA Taskforce.
Undergraduate Award: Lucia Rachel Shpuntoff is a pre-service teacher and poet living and working in the Boston area. She is currently completing her practicum teaching at the Dual Language School in Waltham, MA. Her co-authored paper "Making the Case for Reading and Writing: Toni Morrison's Invisible Ink" was published last Fall in the MRA Beacon. Lucia was the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Ramón Feliciano Poetry Prize for 2024.
The Donald L. Landry Student Award was established to encourage students in the field of education to become active members of professional organizations, particularly MRA and ILA. This committee thoughtfully reviews Graduate and Undergraduate Student applications each year, and two students are selected.
Student Applicants must be enrolled in an Educational Program and write an essay following the established guidelines. Landry Award recipients receive:
~Thursday and Friday Conference Registration
~Annual MRA and ILA Student Membership
~Meals and Events at the Conference
~Conference Lodging Thursday nightThe Student Membership Committee oversees the implementation of this award. The due date for submitting essays and all pertinent information has been extended to Friday, February 20, 2026. Please email to Student Membership Chair Lilyanna Bane.
Donald L. Landry served as MRA President (1972-1973) and Executive Treasurer until 2008. This award honors his many years of dedicated service.