Before the Coronavirus limited social interaction and engagement, three UHD Gators convened with fellow students from across the nation for the Humanities Education and Research Association (HERA) Conference in Chicago. 

The national conference, “The Humanities: Why They Matter, Why We Should Care” covered topics in the humanities from changes over time to triumphs and threats to its importance and challenges. 

Three students in the University's College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS) presented the following papers: 

• John Garcia Chavez, philosophy major, "Reverse Racism: What is it? Does it Exist?" 

• Brandt Wild, philosophy major, "Sexual Identity and Orientation in the Courtroom: It is Okay Because They Are Gay" 

• Taiya Youngs, psychology major, "Social Issue Effects on African American Mental Health and Everyday Life" 

Additionally, UHD’s Dr. Edmund Cueva, professor of humanities, and Crystal Guillory, assistant dean of CHSS, presented “The Humanities and Open Educational Resources (OER)” and “Losing Life While Feeding the Academy: Black Women in the Ivory Tower," respectively. Guillory was also elected vice president of HERA at the conference. 

“The HERA is a unique conference because the faculty who attend are interested in mentoring students and encouraging them to carry the torch of expanding research and educational opportunities in the humanities not only at the college level, but also K-12,” said Guillory. “Our UHD students engaged with world renowned scholars, networked with other college students across the country, and received valuable insight about publishing their work in HERA’s journal Interdisciplinary Humanities.”  

Guillory also extended gratitude to Cueva, who is a previous president of HERA, for introducing her and the students to a “wonderful community of scholars and for making their trip to Chicago a memorable and impactful experience!" 

The HERA Conference was established 12 years ago by Drs. Geoffrey and Marcia Green from San Francisco State University to advance research and education in the Humanities. As of 2018, this international conference opened its doors to allow undergraduate students to present their papers and to encourage the younger generation to grow the field of humanities and to offer a space for intentional mentoring and networking for these young scholars.