Dedicated. Smart. Fearless. Strong. Eager to change the world. Willing to stay up late and awake before dawn to pursue their passion. Those are just a few words that describe some of the Krieger School students you will meet in the pages of this issue. As my team and I pulled together the articles and images, we couldn’t stop talking about them. “Wow, look at this student!” “No, look what this one has done!”

Our cover story about the public health major illustrates the focus and sincerity of Hopkins’ undergraduates. These students very matter-of-factly know that they want to make a difference in the world. A big difference. That could explain why the public health major is one of the most popular at the Krieger School. Is it a Millennial thing that attracts these young people to public health? Is it just that we’ve become such a global society that they can’t help but be more aware of the needs of humans worldwide? Is it simply the idealism of youth? Regardless, our public health majors—whether they are interested in community health, research, policy-making, or international health—share a common goal: to improve the quality of human life.

The resolve of our students is also evident in the feature story about student athletes and how they manage tough academic studies along with demanding practice and game schedules. It really is a delicate balancing act.

This issue also features student researchers whose passion for discovery takes them to some unusual places.

We think you’ll be impressed.