By STEVEN SPEARS
News Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Not all heroes wear capes.

UCM students enrolled in English courses this year may have been introduced to the idea of unconventional heroism through the university’s One Campus, One Book selection “What Makes a Hero?: The Surprising Science of Selflessness.”

Written by Elizabeth Svoboda, the book explores heroic acts and how each individual has the potential to be real-life heroes.

“When you start to expand your ideas about what heroism can look like, you start to realize that heroes really are everywhere,” Svoboda said. “Not only can you acknowledge those everyday heroes for who they are and what they do for the people around them, you can start to sort of catch their vision in ways that you might not have pictured.”

The One Campus, One Book program was introduced to engage students and the campus community in a shared, academically-driven experience in order to spark meaningful conversation, according to a university news release.

The program involves an essay contest where students write about themes related to the chosen book. This year’s winners were Peyton Ackerman, Emily Parsons, Jacob Davis, Sierra Hochstatter and Joel C. Daugherty.

Svoboda visited campus Thursday, Nov. 12 to speak to participating students about her book and the ideas behind it.

“The heroic life really demands that you be the thinking heart of whatever place and time and social landscape that you happen to inhabit,” she said. “And regardless of whether you’re facing down a gunman, doing the hard daily work of nonprofit or speaking out against an injustice that no one else will name, that’s the outlet that’s going to serve you and serve the world.”

To nominate a book for next year’s program, visit ucmo.edu/adp/events/one. cfm.