VOL. 106, NO. 7
T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S AT E L PA S O
NOVEMBER 25, 2020
ANOTHER GRADUATION LOST TO COVID-19
Photograph by Claudia Hernádez/The Prospector
Despite pandemic, graduating senior determined to begin career Alyson Rodriguez The Prospector What should have been a time to celebrate graduation and start a lifelong career instead turned into another tradition lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of seniors at UTEP will once again not experience their graduation in person because of COVID-19’s tight grip on reality. One of those graduating seniors is Brianna Perez who’s graduating with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a minor in marketing. Despite not being able to celebrate such an important milestone, Perez said she’s just glad she discovered her passion during college. “Starting at the university I was very indecisive about what I wanted to major in,” Perez said. “Throughout all my years at Parkland High School, I was a part of the T-STEM program, so when I began attending UTEP, I was originally going to pursue a degree in civil engineering. But quickly found that I was not fit for that field, so I switched to my true passion which is journalism and never looked back.” Perez, 22, was born in Los Angeles and was raised here in El Paso. She began her classes at UTEP in the fall of 2016, deciding to attend UTEP to stay close to her family.
INSIDE BUSINESS Black business owners talk challenges, page 2 ENTERTAINMENT UTEP helps students with mental health, page 23 SPORTS Women’s basketball come off successful season, page 27
Courtesy of Brianna Perez
Graduating senior Brianna Perez hopes to break into the tumultous journalism industry as the pandemic continues to grip the economy. Her four years flew by as a fulltime student with a part-time job. Although she didn’t participate in any clubs during her time at UTEP, she did intern for local television station KVIA-TV and the Sun Bowl Association. When asked how she felt about graduating during a pandemic, Perez described it as definitely not being ideal because like many students, she had been waiting four years to graduate. She said it is upsetting having her graduation overshadowed by such a catastrophic time. “Graduating this December is so surreal; I did not expect my final
classes to be moved entirely online. I almost feel as if I didn’t attend UTEP at all this semester. It is a bit saddening to think I will not see my professors or classmates who I’ve shared these last four years with again.” Perez said. “But, under the circumstances, it is understandable. Overall, receiving my undergrad is probably the best thing that has happened to me all year, at least now I can say that I graduated during a pandemic.” Perez is currently looking for a job in the field of broadcast journalism See Senior page 3
COVID-19 at UTEP Fall 2020 (Aug. 24 - Nov. 15) 800 cases through UTEP’s testing program 211 cases were self-reported Source: utep.edu/resuming-campus-operations/dashboard/