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Four years ago, in the Spring of 2015, we were getting ready to graduate from high school. Neither of us anticipated the fun, stressful, and transformative times that were ahead of us. We first met during Honors Welcome Day in 2015 where we became fast friends. We then added Dr. Simpson’s History 15H class together, the two of us among four freshmen in the class. Dr. Simpson saw our potential and asked us to be editors of the Honors Journal, which once flourished but was not maintained. We want to thank Dr. Simpson for presenting us with the wonderful opportunity to create something beautiful for students. We feel so honored that she saw such promise in us as first years. We agreed, but we did not have the tools to fully revive the Journal yet. 

It was with Rebecca’s help in 2017 that we were able to get the Honors Journal up and running again. While we cared about the Journal, we did not know where to start. Rebecca gave us the guidance we needed to make the Honors Journal into what it is today. Without her expert knowledge, kind words, and supportive leadership, we would never be able to showcase Honors students the way we can with this publication. Thank you, Rebecca.

 

We hope students in the Honors Program relate to our theme this year, Belonging. When thinking about this year’s theme, we chose something we feel represents the Honors Program. We considered the importance of feeling like you belong, as well as the way it feels when you think you don’t belong. The pieces featured this year all embody Belonging in their own unique ways.

Lastly, we want to thank our editors, who always make us feel like we belong. Thank you to Summer, our Essay Editor; Christella, our Creative Writing Editor; Tatum, our Multimedia Editor; Rachael, our STEM Editor; and Samaria, our Assistant Editor. Every one of these wonderful ladies balanced work, school, and life, all while finding time for the Honors Journal. As Maria, Rachael, and I prepare to graduate from the Honors Program, we hope you all carry the torch well. That also means that there will be some open Editor positions available, so look out for a Call for Editors soon!

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All the best,
 

Lianna Anderson and Maria Sandhu