UNC Wilmington’s Campus Life Arts & Programs announced the four speakers for next year’s Leadership Lecture Series: Tarana Burke, Greg Lukianoff, Gabby Rivera and Derreck Kayongo.

Campus Life hosts programming and events concerning the topics from each lecture, leaving options for students to get involved beyond just attending the series.

“I would always encourage students to attend those as well as the lecture itself,” said Stefanie Norris, director of Arts and Programs for Campus Life. “All of the speakers also stay for a meet and greet so if students want to have a more personal conversation that is a great way to do as so as well.”

Founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education, Greg Lukianoff is more than just a journalist. His organization, more commonly known as FIRE, seeks to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. An attorney, he has contributed to The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Students will get the chance to hear Burke’s inspiring story, Norris said. Burke has spent the last 25 years dedicating her life to social justice.

“We have already seen a lot of programming around the #MeToo movement come out of the Women’s Resource Center and the College of Health and Human Services this semester and there has been amazing dialogue by students, faculty and staff.”

A nod to students about the importance of embracing their true selves, Gabby Rivera provides an insightful look into her new Marvel comic that features a queer, Latinx superhero. Rivera has also written a young adult novel, one of the 25 essential books to read for women’s history month according to Mic.

Her novel was praised by author Roxane Gay, who said the book was “quite dazzling, funny as hell, poignant, all the things.”

Derrick Kayongo offers a tale of hope and success for students looking to sew their wild oats after their time here. A Ugandan refugee turned successful entrepreneur, he is the founder of the Global Soap Project, which recycles hotel soap for redistribution to impoverished nations around the world. He was a Top Ten CNN Hero in 2011 and currently serves as the CEO for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The Leadership Lecture Series was built to reflect a variety of tastes and interests.

“The hope is to represent a variety of perspectives, disciplines and give every student an opportunity to participate in the series based on their interests,” Norris said.

Aside from the Leadership Lecture series, Campus Life Arts and Programs also assists in putting on events for students through the Association for Campus Entertainment [ACE], which puts films on in Lumina Theater weekly and hosts other student events like art exhibits in the Boseman Gallery.