Editor’s note.

One of the joys of attending college in the heart of a city – which is more like a lung in Marquette’s case – is the number of opportunities that are available to the student body. Sure, each student has an everyday routine, but we all have the autonomy to challenge our comfort zones whether in the residence halls, the streets of Milwaukee, or in less familiar neighborhoods. This autonomy is an extension of what Marquette asks of every student: Be the difference.

We’ve decided to start something new with the opinions desk of the Marquette Wire. These quotes come from the the soapbox series, which was an opportunity for columnists to share what being the difference means on an individual basis. In some cases, the answer to this question is apparent in their experiences working and serving others. In addition, for some columnists, being the difference took stepping off Marquette’s campus and observing how others are, in fact, being the difference.

Our hope with this series is that students will reflect and celebrate the ways in which they are presently living out Marquette’s “Be the difference” mantra, regardless of the created perceptions of this phrase.