PURE Insights

With each new volume comes change and challenges. Volume 8 is no exception. However, perhaps the trick is to view each of those changes and challenges as mere happenings, neither good nor bad. We do not always feel it in the moment, but oftentimes, those very circumstances can be the impetus for some pretty impressive change. As a publication based in a higher education institution, we remain sensitive to the changes occurring, not just within our campus, but without, across our state, and our nation as we strive to maintain our "great experiment," as George Washington named it in 1790.

One thing is certain, you, our WOUvians, remain the brightest hope for our future and this volume confirms that for me, and hopefully, for you. We continue to grow the diversity and inclusion scope of PURE Insights by including the outstanding undergraduate senior graduation speeches by Juan (Carlos) Chairez Casas, and BillyAnn Stempel. Mr. Casas' speech transcript is published within this volume in both English and Spanish as delivered at graduation 2019. We continue to embrace our digital medium by having embedded links in each speech transcript so that you might listen to their inspiring words at any time. Once again, we have the privilege of publishing the top three poets from the Peter Sears Poetry competition, and Volume 8 has two outstanding Spanish articles for your reading pleasure.

These authors are your contemporaries and for many of you, they carry your voice. Everyone is not a great writer; some people have the gift for turning what we often feel, but cannot articulate, into the written word. I am grateful for those people because in my lifetime, they have many times given me the voice I did not know I needed. Read their work, their research, and their stories, and rest well knowing that you are heard. And if for some reason, you do not hear your voice, or your story, then take up the challenge and write your story; I look forward to seeing it in Volume 9. But for now, to the authors of Volume 8, I salute you. Well done, WOUvians. Well done.

Sadly, it is not possible to be Chair of Humanities and sustain the needed workload of Managing Editor, so it is necessary that I step down from my role with PURE Insights. I will treasure every moment of my time that I have spent with your voices and your stories, and I look forward to seeing what else you bring to the next volume. With that, I hand the reins of PURE Insights over to the very capable and expert direction of Maren Anderson.

-Dr. Paula K. Baldwin, Managing Editor, PURE Insights