— -- A 27-year-old graduate student, dressed all in black, opened fire on a crowded lecture hall and at Northern Illinois University on Thurs. Feb. 14, 2008.

Ryanne Mace

Ryanne Mace's college roommate and good friend Amy Schwartz last saw her as she was walking down to her class in Cole Hall. A straight-A student, Mace preferred to sit in the front row in class and ask questions, according to Schwartz. Schwartz and others lamented to each other Thursday night that they wished she had been more of a "slacker."

Mace, 19, was an only child and her love of knitting led her to start a knitting club at her high school Dundee-Crown in Carpentersville, Ill., which she attended with Schwartz. As a sophomore at Northern Illinois University, Mace focused on psychology and according to Schwartz, repeatedly talked of her ultimate goal: to go to graduate school and become a psychologist. In her free time, Mace enjoyed going bowling and to the movies with friends, but ever the diligent student, only after her work was done.

Daniel Parmenter

Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester, Ill., was a sophomore studying finance. He spent his last meal eating lunch with friends Justin Zegar and Tom Salzman from the Northern Illinois University newspaper, The Northern Star. Zegar and Salzman described Parmenter as genuine and a hard-worker. At NIU, Parmenter was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was studying finance.

Parmenter was always up for a challenge and someone who always brought a smile to your face. Parmenter's friends spoke of his love for food and voracious appetite. During their last lunch together, Parmenter's friends challenged him to eat two sub sandwiches, which he successfully accomplished.