Viggiani filled her office with toys and unusual items designed to put students at ease, like the four-foot long model of a Ticonderoga pencil that now hangs above Coontz’ desk.

She tried to connect with the students, Coontz said, rather than simply enforcing rigid policies.

“Her sense of justice really didn’t fit the model of blind judging,” Coontz said. “She always saw the shades of gray, and tried to err on the side that would help students.”

Viggiani continued to pursue her aspirations after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Coontz said.

“She said, ‘What am I going to do, sit around and wait to die? Damn, no I’m going to go to law school,’” he remembered. “She got very frustrated with anyone telling her she shouldn’t do something or plan too far in advance.”

At that point, Viggiani left her job as a senior tutor, took a summer road trip around the country and returned to Cambridge to attend Harvard Law School.

“She was so full of great confidence and independence as a woman,” Kiely said.

Despite her many credentials—including a doctorate from the Harvard School of Education she earned while serving as a senior tutor and involvement in University programs on women’s and sexual orientation issues—Viggiani was “incredibly humble” and “down to earth,” Macy said.

“She was a completely original and incredibly intelligent and loving person,” Kiely said. “There was nobody quite like her.”