Dear readers,

Our stories define who we are.

They also illuminate the connective thread of our humanity. To call ourselves Illini is no small thing. It means we are a part of something bigger.

When we created STORIED, we wanted to bring the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to life through the people who, in ways big and small, have left their mark on our world for over 150 years.

It is never hard for us to find compelling stories for STORIED. We are consistently awed by how our alumni, students, and faculty engage with the world.

They break boundaries and stand up for the rights of all. They dive deep into the oceans and set their sights on the moon. They travel the world in service to humankind, and they also help communities closer to home prosper and thrive.

The Illinois experience is different for each person who passes through our campus, but we all take with us the ethos of the place. We embrace the passion and the curiosity. The courage and ambition. The belief that we all have something to give the world, and the desire to share those gifts.

Any one individual’s story is compelling. When strung together, these stories take on a new, larger significance.

We believe in the importance of these stories and we want to share them with you. Whether our stories bring you back to campus or to the far reaches of the Arctic, we hope that they inspire you, entertain you, and remind you of just what it means to be an Illini.

Happy reading,

Kim Schmidt (LAS ’95, MEDIA ’17), editor