Among all the honors events and activities that bring together honors faculty, students, and staff, the
Honors Student Conference is the one I consider the most special. This event not only showcases the
diverse and excellent work being done in the Honors Program, but it demonstrates commitment from all
members of the Honors community. Faculty go out of their way to nominate students, who accept
those nominations along with the additional work of creating posters and presentations. Students who
nominate themselves show courage and commitment to self-improvement as they share their work with
others. Thesis students, along with their faculty advisors, volunteer without reward beyond personal
growth, to embark on the risky road of independent creation. The Honors staff devotes hundreds of
hours to coordinate and organize the biggest student conference at DePaul.

While I am deeply saddened that we will not be able to meet in person this year, due to COVID-19 and
political and social turmoil, this virtual space in which we are sharing the hard work of DePaul honors
students fills me with incredible pride. In a year where it would be easier to let things go and hide in
bed under the covers honors students and faculty were hard at work continuing their intellectual
endeavors and putting them into a format that can be displayed for the enjoyment of others.
For this virtual showcase, we must all thank the efforts of the honors staff and our student workers. Our
Program Assistant, Elizabeth Woodruff, took it upon herself to swim in the unknown waters of software
and websites to make possible the compilation of the student work. She did this with the support and
guidance of Jennifer (Kosco) Reichle and Nancy Grossman, and the invaluable hard work of student
assistants Anissa Patterson, Hannah Reed, and Charlotte Meffe. Without their efforts, this showcase
would not be possible.

This is my last year as Honors Director, and I was hoping to use the conference as a way to say goodbye
and to thank you for the opportunity to be part of such a vibrant community. While this is not the way I
planned to go about my last few months as Director, you have reminded me that, in the end, students
are the soul and the substance of the Honors Program. Your efforts give me faith that the future can be
better than the present, and I am sure that as you continue your studies and embark on professional
careers you will bring your knowledge and skills to the service of the most vulnerable and the
betterment of society. For now, enjoy a well-deserved break and take care of yourselves and your
families.

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Your most humble admirer,
Martha Martinez-Firestone