HSUP’s Year in Review

By Koro Castillo, 2025-2026 HSUP President

As Honors Students for Unity and Progress (HSUP) approaches the end of its second full year as a registered student organization, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished this academic year.

HSUP focuses on community-building, mainly targeted at Honors students, but open to all. We work hard to create a space for high-achieving students to air their concerns or struggles, or to just take a break from the rigor of being an honors student. 

Our members are interested in advocacy and social justice, so we focus our initiatives, and even simple things like crafts, around educating ourselves on how to be better members of the University and larger Iowa City community.

HSUP meetings and events range from casual craft nights to big events, like our most recent “10s Across the Board” dance party in collaboration with Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC). 

HSUP supports and collaborates with student orgs that are similarly working hard to make the University a safe and welcoming space for all. Other collaborations this year included hosting guest speaker Dr. Silvia Secchi with the Environmental Coalition (EnCo), tabling with Bijou Film Board at FilmScene before a screening, and an upcoming collaboration with Hawk the Vote, where we’ll be helping students get registered to vote for the upcoming primary elections. 

HSUP also attends community protests and events, like the Women’s Resource and Action Center’s “Take Back the Night” march and speak out, where we set up a craft table for people to write supportive messages for their peers.