We are excited to introduce the six DePaul students invited to join the HumanitiesX Collaborative as Student Fellows. Each fellow brings to the table different interdisciplinary perspectives and personal experiences as they address topics within the 2022-23 theme, The Environment: Crisis and Action. The students join our Faculty and Community Fellows, who, through three distinct new courses offered this spring, will demonstrate the importance of experiential humanities studies, the relevance of project-based learning, and the impact of community engagement.
We introduce the Student Fellows, in their own words:
Mayra Shuja 
Program and Level of Study: Mayra is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Sustainable Urban Development.
Relevant Coursework: The introductory Sustainable Urban Development course had the greatest impact on her educational career, since it guided her through Chicago’s evolution with racial injustice.
Fun Fact: She wanted to become a singer when she was younger and was actually a child actor when she was four.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme: Mayra is interested in the humanities since it connects to multiple interdisciplinary subjects, and she believes it will further her knowledge on ritual and sacred spaces in cities. Her passion for academics expands into her creativity; whether it’s sketching, writing, or singing, she engulfs herself and what she stands for into any activity.
Mariam Zaki
Program and Level of Study: Mariam is pursuing a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) with a concentration in Community Health Science.
Relevant Classes:
Biological Environmentalism; Ecology; Intro to Environmental Health;
Biostatistics; An Interdisciplinary Honors College Program (this sparked
her interest in HumanitiesX, as she really enjoyed working with people
in other colleges and putting minds together).
Fun Fact: She played the bass guitar for ten years.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme:
Within the topic of the environment, she is most interested in mixing
concerns about the environmental crisis with the humanities. Her view is
that most current solutions are very science-based and there’s a big
gap where we need other thinkers, and ways of thinking, to solve the
problems in a morally holistic way. Additionally, there is a huge need
for interdisciplinary work–-in public health, for example, there’s a
need to study the environmental crisis but the problem can’t be fixed
overall without other writers, anthropologists, and thinkers.
Emily Figueroa
Program and Level of Study: Emily is a Junior majoring in Journalism and has a minor in Environmental Communication.
Relevant Classes: Sustainable Practice, because it made her realize how certain acts seemed to align with the vision of a sustainable future but were not the correct environmental decisions.
Fun Fact: Emily is proud to be a fluent Spanish speaker, since it helps her maintain a close bond with her extended family and stay in touch with her roots and the Hispanic culture.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme: What she finds most interesting about this year’s theme is the use of media and focus on the environment. She is excited to be curating things that will be published on DePaul's websites and collaborating with people in the city of Chicago to amplify their voices and efforts.
Miranda Kincer
Program and Level of Study: Miranda is a Junior studying Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse. She is minoring in History.
Relevant Classes: Miranda
recently took an honors course called Societies at the End of the
World, which focused on how the places we live and the markets we
contribute to are creating the climate crisis. It focused on how
changing our behavior patterns is the necessary solution to climate
change.
Fun Fact: Miranda’s first dream was to become a dolphin trainer because of her love of animals.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme: Communicating
about something that impacts every single person in different ways can
be very revelatory of how connected we are and that we are going through
this universal struggle together. There is so much opportunity to
become more connected within our own communities. It can be difficult to
think of ourselves as the people causing such a horrible crisis, so
being a part of a program that encourages everyone to reflect on their
own actions is a promising catalyst for change.
Madeline Meyer 
Program and Level of Study: Madeline is a Senior double majoring in Acting and Political Science with a concentration in International Politics.
Relevant Classes: Global Environmental Politics, Introduction to International Relations (highlighted interconnectedness in our world and felt like it had a narrative through line), Brain Biology and Behavior.
Fun Fact: She is certified in four weapon disciplines with the Society of American Fight Directors.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme: She is excited by the idea of being able to discuss the emotional and sensitive side of the environmental issues that are often glossed over. She is interested in learning to communicate with a wide audience. Furthermore, she is also interested in incorporating the value of art in social issues and being able to hold a mirror up to the audience with a safe distance that will allow people to process emotions and spur action.
Laura Murphy 
Program and Level of Study: Laura is a Senior in the Honors Communication and Media Program. She is minoring in Entrepreneurship and Environmental Communication.
Relevant Classes: Professor Barbara Willard’s Promoting Sustainable Practices was her favorite environmental-themed course at DePaul. The class focused on the various methods of communicating environmental issues to larger and diverse audiences.
Fun Fact: Laura is from Washington state. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, and videography.
Interest in 2022-23 Theme: The most interesting part of our theme is the humanities perspective towards environmental issues because it highlights how communicating unique perspectives on larger issues allows communities to connect with one another and find creative solutions.