Friday, 29 April, more than 30 students from the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) Honors Program, along with friends from the Walter Prescott Webb Society, were surprised with a 90-minute private tour of the Port of Houston and lunch aboard the M/V Sam Houston. It was not until students boarded the bus to take them to the port that they knew where they were headed. Since learning the date for the "Mystery Bus" outing in early March, students eagerly waited to learn where they would spend their day.

Many students had never been to the port, and even fewer students had sailed alongside ocean-going tankers and cargo vessels.

Taylor Tumbleson, a first-year Honors student majoring in mathematics, said, "I cross the bridge over the port every day to get to school, but this was the first time I actually got to visit the port. It was interesting to see what goes on there and how busy it is. The tour boat was really nice and the crew was very friendly—overall the experience was outstanding."

The trip was more than a celebration of the semester's end, it served to reward Honors students for meeting the "April 480" service challenge. During April, students committed to eight hours (four hundred eighty minutes) of service to the university or community. To meet the challenge, they volunteered for events including the UHD Open House, the TIER Program's "Level Up," and turned out in force for the Bayou Service Project and Ed's Bayou Clean Up.

Students also volunteered off campus at the Beacon, helped out with the Sabor Del Northside Festival and contributed to the UNA Global Classrooms project. Given the high level of involvement with their community, many Honors students completed more than the required eight hours and in total, submitted more than 373 hours of service toward the April challenge.