UTPANORAMA 2014

the dark side of the valley

exploring our superstitions pachangas of the underground

valley of the dolls

sxsw guide what’s in your bag?

+prepping for next year

under the bar a look at utpa power lifters

the art of travis trapp

PANORAMA magazine

COOKING UP A MAGAZINE Panorama 2014 is a delicious concoction of student life, sports, art, music and fashion.

DISCLAIMER: The views presented in Panorama do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Texas - Pan American or its employees.

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for students.

by students.

co-editors-in-chief Stephanie Melchor Karen Villarreal

copy editors Audry OcaĂąas Brittany Villarreal

design editor

Matthew Sustaita

photography editor

about students.

writers Karen Antonacci Susan Gonzalez Ashley Hernandez Mark Lopez Autumn de Luna Adriana Gonzales Cameron Moreno Claudia Victoria Lemus Daniel Ymbong Xander Graff-Spektor Daniela Covian Stephanie Melchor Karen Villarreal

photographers Adrian Castillo Elihu Garcia Katelyn Flores Alfonso Quevedo

Adrian Castillo

designers

social media manager

Karen Villarreal Matthew Sustaita Maxwell Perkins Richard Rodriguez Julia Solis EstefanĂ­a Olvera

Jan Hernandez

advisEr

Donna Pazdera

special thanks WRSC Carlos Molina La Piedad Cemetary Catarina Gutierrez Franchesca Verdeflor

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we are panor Brittany Villarreal: kind of loud, kind of small, kind of bad at writing about herself.

Quite good at writing about everything else.

You could probably hear Audry’s laugh from 1,000 miles away.

She has an Ernest Hemingway tattoo and is totally a walking cliché.

She’s an English major by day, barista by night, and brooding grammar Nazi always.

copy editor

copy editor

Design editor

photography editor

social media manager

Matthew Sustaita is currently studying graphic design, advertising, English, and also working on music projects when there is downtime.

Currently finding the means to feel productive and help people have fun.

Adrian Castillo is a junior studying graphic design and the meaning of his existence.

He does not aspire to become an important figure in this world; he might on the next depending on the situation. Coffee is what fuels his life and his soul.

Jan Hernandez studies English and Spanish. She is a two-time finalist of the World’s Largest International Scavenger Hunt (GISHWHES). She spends the majority of her time drinking her body weight in hot tea or wasting time on the Internet.

She likes mangos and Louis Tomlinson an equally large amount.

Donna is very Aquarius, which means she wants to save the world, but jealously protects her alone time. She loves trail running -- especially at night and in Hill Country. She has a couple of unfinished memoirs locked safe in her head. Is a successful procrastinator.

advisEr 2

Anita Reyes is the office manager for Student Publications, but she’s more than a title to us.

We know her fondly as Anita. From figuring out our paychecks to solving technical malfunctions, She makes all of our problems go away.

Office manager

orama co-editor in chief Stephanie Melchor is a mass communications major. She not only co-directed the production of this magazine, but juggled her time as a full-time student, intern, and member of a competitive advertising team. She insists shopping is therapeutic and regularly binge watches re-runs of “Mystery Detectives.” You won’t see her without a venti Starbucks cup in hand.

co-editor in chief Karen Villarreal is a fifth year graphic design and philosophy major. She hopes to write a graphic novel, video game, and children’s book eventually.

Karen is a Taurus whose blood type is AB+. She has the best cat in the universe (as far as she knows - alien cats have yet to be discovered or disproved, and could theoretically be better).

letter from the editors Panorama draws in students who want to share themselves, who have too much personality for just one day job. Each of the stories presented here was written with care, crafted and molded by students who aren’t paid enough for what they do but do it anyway.

They have their own voices and we hope you can hear them as you flip through this magazine. The authors, as well as the subjects of their stories, represent the part of UTPA that is willing to go into the world and make some mark. When you walk around campus, you know there are more stories waiting to be told, and we want to tell them all.

Seeing first-hand the talent and growth of the Valley in general but particularly that of UTPA, Panorama is inspired to grow too- and we officially announce our plan to print another issue in the fall. We’re hoping to go from an annual publication to a bi-annual, thanks to the patronage of our advertisers and the University of Texas-Pan American. But we couldn’t do it without the hard work of our team of student writers, photographers and designers, to whom we dedicate this issue. It is the interest of just a handful of people- fellow students- who keep this thing going. That, and of course, our readership. Thank you, reader, for continuing to support student publications.

We do it for you, too.

Remember to look out for us again in November!

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students sports art music fashion editorial

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THE KICKASS INTERN

BECAUSE SELFIES

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (LATINO)

THEN: A PERSONAL ESSAY

MY LITTLE BRONY

BEDROOMS OF THE VALLEY

MAKE A MOVE OR MOVE OVER

EXPLORING OUR SUPERSTITIONS

UNDER THE BAR

THE WRESTLER

SKATING THE CAMPUS

COWBOYS: THE OTHER RELIGION

PLAYING TO LIVE

INSIDE THE MIND OF BUDDY PAPAS

DIY: CHAIR RECYCLING

IF YOU HAVE VALLEY LEMONS, MAKE LIMONADA

STUDENT WORK

TRAVIS TRAPP IS MY REAL NAME

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO

THE K-POP REVOLUTION

GUIDE TO SOUTH BY

SOUNDWAVES FROM HOME

NEVER SAY NEVER FESTIVAL

GALAX-Z FAIR III

SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS PACHANGAS OF THE UNDERGROUND FASHION TRENDS 2014

BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT YOUR FRIENDS? NEVER HAVE I EVER AN UNPOPULAR OPINION

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student life STUDENT LIFE

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STUDENT LIFE

learning to love

(GRADUATION) bomb the

BY KAREN ANTONACCI

GRAPHIC BY MAXWELL PERKINS, MATTHEW SUSTAITA

Are you worried about finding a job after you graduate?

OF COURSE YOU ARE. This is 2014, after all, only five years after a global recession. And collective student loan debt surpassed the credit card debt for the whole country and unemployment is still way high, especially for recent college grads…

Oh no! Shhh...shhhh, it’s going to be alright. I didn’t mean to stress you out. You’ll find something. You might have to go through several job interviews, which are like final exams you have to dress up for. Or you could try to get an internship under your belt in college and then hit up that employer when you graduate.

See, as companies have slowly recovered from that recession, they’ve relied on offering college students internships that function essentially as long-term job interviews. Get an internship in your field, and a full-time job isn’t guaranteed, but it’s more likely for you than some schmuck coming in off the street, right?

So, Mr. I-Want-Future-Employment, I’m sure your first question is something like“HOW DO I FIND AN INTERNSHIP?” Well, one way of going about it- that you’re already paying foris stopping by The Office of Career Services on the second floor of the Student Services Building. They work to connect students and alumni with career opportunities, including internships.

You might meet with Lilly Montalvo, an internship coordinator at the Office of Career Services, who has a lot of tips about when and how to go about looking for an internship.

“We suggest that students start looking for an internship the semester before it starts because the internship hiring process can involve a background check and can start four to five months in advance,” Montalvo said.

Montalvo also suggested that students use their freshmen and sophomore years to focus on their core studies and getting involved on campus. Many companies tend to prefer juniors or seniors for internships because they have usually had some introductory courses in their field, she added.

THE WELL-WORN INTERNSHIP ROAD Okay, so you’ve done your time in your core classes, and you’ve gotten involved on campus and now you’re applying for that competitive internship. What makes you stand out?

“What (employers) are looking for is a high GPA, someone that is involved on campus, has leadership experience, internship experience or community experience,” Montalvo said.

Have you got most of those? Cool, then it’s time to start looking for internship opportunities on the Bronc Career Connection or at a career fair. Once again, Montalvo recommended starting fairly early.

“Sophomores might want to go to a career fair and walk around and listen so they’re not caught off guard as a junior the next year,” Montalvo said.

Plus, if you find yourself internship-oriented around late October,

you could attend the Internship Week events that the Office of Career Services puts on. They get students that already worked an internship a summer or two ago to present on topics like living outside the Valley, convincing parents to let you live outside the Valley, and other questions you might have.

Actually, speaking of questions, one you probably need to ask yourself at some point is “CAN I AFFORD TO WORK FOR FREE?” See this is a very important question to answer yourself, because while there is no official data kept on numbers of internships, some estimate that about half of all the ones offered in the U.S. are unpaid.

And buckle up, because that has become controversial in the last couple of years.

So in June, a Federal judge in Manhattan ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures should have paid two interns that worked on the movie “The Black Swan,” according to The New York Times.

The two former interns, Eric Glatt and Alexander Footman, said that Fox owed them money because they performed menial tasks that were usually done by paid employees, like delivering lunch orders, answering phones and taking out the trash.

This lawsuit is causing many companies, especially in the film, radio and TV industries, to rethink collecting cadres of unpaid interns. And while interns - paid or not - are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (it’s usually on posters in breakrooms and tells you the minimum wage, child labor laws and whatnot), it’s still a good idea to know the guidelines for unpaid internships if you’re going for that sort of thing.

Here goes: If you are working an unpaid internship, your employer is supposed to offer an educational environment. So, you gotta learn something. Plus, you have to get some sort of benefit out of the whole deal and the employer can’t get too much benefit out of your work.

STUDENT LIFE

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LOOK, MOST STUDENTS HERE

HAVE TWO JOBS AND THEY NEED

GAS MONEY, AND YOU KNOW,

THEY NEED FOOD.

Plus plus, you can’t displace regular paid employees. So your boss shouldn’t be firing full-time basket weavers and “hire” you for an indefinite unpaid basket weaving internship. If any of that happens, just start throwing around phrases like the “United States Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71.”

Or, even better, if you got your internship through the Office of Career Services, paid or unpaid, and it’s not quite living up to your expectations, just contact the office.

“Students should stay in contact with us on how (the internship) is going and if there are any problems with the quality of the learning experience, because we don’t want someone to have a bad internship,” Montalvo said. “Every new employer that contacts us has to come up with a detailed job description and learning outcomes, and if those are not being met, we will usually set up a meeting with the employer.”

So if you go that route, you’ve got someone in your corner looking out for you. In fact, Montalvo said that Career Services really doesn’t like to push unpaid internships and doesn’t allow them to be posted at all on Bronc Career Connection if they are unpaid and far away.

“We really try to promote paid internships and we tell companies that want to set something up, ‘Look, most students here have two jobs and they need gas money, and you know, they need food.’ So we really try to make the reason for paid internships clear,” Montalvo said.

Julio Oyervides, an electrical engineering major who interned over the summer with financial service provider Barclays in New York City, said that just because an internship might be unpaid is not a reason to disregard it.

While Oyervides’s internship was paid, he said he met many interns in NYC who were unpaid, and he can see the reasoning.

“Obviously it depends sometimes because some companies might try to just throw something out there, like a crappy opportunity to see who takes it,” said the 21-year-old senior from Saltillo, Mexico.

“But then from an employer’s perspective, they are looking for people interested in the company so it’s sort of ‘Show interest in (the company) and we’ll show interest in you.’”

Plus, Oyervides pointed out that some benefits of an internship might outweigh pay.

“For prospective employers, experience matters. Money comes and goes but if you’re applying to grad school, they are going to be looking at what you do, not how much you earn,” Oyervides said, adding that in the electrical engineering field, even unpaid interns are often offered some sort of housing or living stipend.

Okay, cool, so now you’ve found an internship and you know how to not get screwed over while working it. By now I bet you’re probably wondering something like“THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WHAT IF I HAVE TO MOVE SOMEWHERE WITHOUT STRIPES TACOS?” Dude, I feel you. Just as a Q taco and a simple bean and cheese taco have their respective benefits, so also do internships close to and away from home. If you find a great internship here in the Valley, it might be easier on the financial and homesickness fronts. On the other hand, working in a new place away from home might be daunting at first as you try to make new acquaintances and get used to your surroundings. But for those that haven’t been out of the area much, the experience could be really beneficial. Even if the internship is just slightly north and not halfway around the world, the experience might teach you quite a bit.

Melissa Garza, an accounting major who worked two paid internships with accounting firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young) in Houston, said the experience of living in H-town was eye-opening even though she was vaguely familiar with the area. “(Houston) is such a diverse city so it took some time to get used to so much culture and of course it was going from a smaller city to a bigger city. So wherever you stay there you can find something for you,” said Garza, who is a senior from McAllen. “But definitely one of the biggest things was moving from a school that is predominantly

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STUDENT LIFE

A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH A PART-TIME JOB, TAKING CLASSES, BUT GOING AWAY MAKES YOU MATURE AND HELPS YOU IN GROWING UP.

she’s with coco: a q&a UTPA SENIOR OLIVIA CRUZ SPENT THIS SEMESTER INTERNING WITH THE EPONYMOUS GINGER STAR OF THE LATE-NIGHT TV SHOW “CONAN. “ CRUZ, WHO IS ORIGINALLY FROM KANSAS, SPARED A MOMENT IN HER BUSY DAY TO TELL US ABOUT HER UNPAID INTERNSHIP WITH THE COIFFED COMIC.

IT’S TOUGH LIVING THERE BY YOURSELF.

Hispanic to a company that is very diverse and embracing different cultures.”

For Oyervides, the change from the Valley to NYC was much more drastic.

“As a Mexican here in the Valley, everything is so small, there are no tall buildings and everything is pretty empty, so the big city takes you out of your comfort zone,” Oyervidas said. “A lot of people here are comfortable with a part-time job, taking classes, but going away makes you mature and helps you in growing up, because it’s tough living there by yourself.”

Oyervides also said he had to get used to riding the metro to work every day in full business attire and paying upwards of $13 for lunch daily. But ultimately, he said the internship experience was worth it, even if the majority of the work he did wasn’t directly related to electrical engineering.

“I learned presentation skills, writing, and professionalism was enforced throughout,” he said. “Plus I got to network a lot.

That’s a big skill, to be able to sell yourself. My manager was a very recognized person in the company and she talked a lot about me to other people, so that’s a benefit.”

Alright, feel better now? Look at all the resources available to you. With some work put in during your college career, the time after graduation can be spent happily planning on reuniting with friends you made over your summer internship instead of quietly sobbing when you think about your student loans.

Oh! There you go crying again! Sorry…shhh…shhh. Okay, we won’t mention the L-word.

Cruz appeared in a promo where Conan interacted with his interns. She explained how she organized the coffee station.

Q: HOW DID YOU GET THE JOB ON “CONAN?” OC: Like everyone else, I applied online with my resume, and also like everyone else I knew someone who knew someone who worked there and they were able to push my resume to be seen. That’s mainly how I got the internship.

Everyone knows someone who works there but it took a while because there was a lot of competition for this semester. I emailed almost, like daily, to check on my application.

Q: DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU HEARD THAT YOU HAD GOTTEN THE INTERNSHIP? OC: Yes, it was in the middle of Directing I class and it was kind of at the beginning of the class, but the instructor was lecturing and I went outside to take the call.

Q: HOW DOES A TYPICAL DAY WORKING FOR “CONAN” GO? OC: I usually get there around 8:30 (a.m.)-ish and it starts off with regular intern stuff, like making coffee. There’s a lot of getting coffee and going to Starbucks. There’s a lot of distributing mail and cleaning our little area. Pretty much when we’re not doing those things, we’re on standby for if they need us to do anything, like pick up a prop. During the week, it’s very busy and there’s a lot to do. Taping usually starts at 4:30 (p.m.) and ends around 5:30 and we leave around 6:30 or 7 in the evening.

Q: AFTER THE INTERNSHIP, WHAT PATH WILL YOU TAKE? OC: Well, I chose to be a general production intern because you get to have interaction with every department. So it’s the best place to work to figure out what specifically I wanted to do in TV. This month I have really been enjoying the production part and the camera work and the stage production - things like that. I’m not really into an office job, like sitting still for a long amount of time. So at this point, I think my career path will be directing or a camera operator.

STUDENT LIFE

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TO BE OR NOT TO BE

(LATINO)

THEATRE AT UTPA EMBRACES HISPANIC ROOTS

BY MARK LOPEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO AND KAREN VILLARREAL Echoes of music fade from the atmosphere. The red, yellow and blue lights colorize the air as well as the sweat pouring down the performers’ faces. Each movement seems to add to the agony of the dancers’ feet, leaving only a numb sensation after. The air is full with the sounds of panting and faint groans. All of this is simply routine, everyday life for those who call themselves “Pachangueros.” These dancers, actors and mariachi members are a part of the play Pachanga, a small show that ignited in June and then spread like wildfire in the fall of 2013. The play celebrates the Hispanic culture like few shows do, capturing the attention of Latino theatre organizations across the United States. The show is a culmination of a dream that seemed impossible years ago, a recognition of injustice by one professor and several of his students and the daring decision to act upon it.

“Dr. Eric Wiley has done a lot for the Latino Theatre Initiative,” said 19-year-old theatre major Maria Alvarado. “He realized there was no opportunity for Latino students in the theatre department...He didn’t agree with the system that was going on in the theatre so he decided to help them somehow, do something different.”

The Latino Theatre Initiative is a local theatre company at UTPA. The Initiative was started by Dr. Wiley as well as with some help from

THE PLAY CELEBRATES THE HISPANIC CULTURE LIKE FEW SHOWS DO,

CAPTURING THE ATTENTION OF LATINO THEATRE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. his students. The company has only been around for roughly three years but in that time has spawned multiple plays that have gained local and national recognition such as Pachanga and last year’s Crawling with Monsters. The Initiative gave something that Hispanic actors at UTPA didn’t have before: a voice. All it took was courage.

Now, the man who gave his effort to breathe life into the Latino Theatre Initiative is actually not...well, Latino. There’s probably not any real traceable bloodlines connected to Latino culture in him but Wiley’s lack of Latino heritage didn’t stop him from noticing a problem.

He saw that for too long, Mexican actors weren’t being given a chance

To me it was kind of an ugly history. in effect we were trying to do New York-style theatre in the Rio Grande Valley.

neither the audience or theatre majors are New Yorkers.

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STUDENT LIFE

The Pachanga Latino Dance Comedy was performed from September 25 to 29, 2013 at the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre at UTPA. STUDENT LIFE

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When you embrace the culture

that is here in the Valley,

then suddenly

we become a very dynamic and interesting theatre program.

to showcase their talents due to lack of opportunity and acceptance.

A show centered upon Hispanic values and recited in Spanish hadn’t happened in over 20 years. He saw only predominantly white American or old English shows as well as a lack of Spanish in this mostly Hispanic society. There were few shows that showed any inkling of Latino culture, rarely mentioning a Spanish word or dish (and we all know not sharing any Mexican food should be a crime against humanity). Wiley saw that the UTPA theatre department, which should have been for Latino actors, had long since been turned against them. Too many doors had been closed, all keys burned or destroyed, leaving Latino actors with very few outlets. He decided a change was necessary.

“Instead of someone who doesn’t have that culture, since no one else was doing it, it had to be him. I think it’s had a big impact because we realized there shouldn’t be boundaries in culture,” said Alvarado.

Wiley saw how disheartening it was for the young Latino actors at UTPA to go sometimes through their whole college career without participating in a play due to not fitting the profile which was usually white/Caucasian. Wiley’s goal was to change that and bring the initiative to life.

“The Latino Theatre Organization is a student organization that was formed in the fall of 2010. Historically, Latino theatre has not been a big part of the University Theatre,” said Wiley. “The original idea was to offer more opportunities to people whose original language was not English and who had accents that would prevent them from getting roles but we also wanted to offer students the opportunity to participate in theatre that reflected Latino culture.”

In other words, the department had been trying to be like something it wasn’t. It was trying to fit into mainstream America and follow the footsteps of those who had paved the way for theatre success. But the Broadway shows that light up the New York streets and the famous plays we study all throughout high school and into freshman theatre class are from a race that all speak the same voice, one that doesn’t quite match up with ours. Our impersonation of

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STUDENT LIFE

that voice would almost always seem hollow. A reading of beautiful words with no heart: for the heart that lives within the Latino culture strives to talk about real issues that plague real Latinos. Some of the UTPA faculty, as well as some parents, had no problem trying to mold young Latino actors to fit the bill of one-race-fits-all acting, which Wiley saw with contempt.

“Well to some extent it was the philosophy of some of the faculty that requiring students (who wanted to act) to master English first was doing them a favor. The virtue of the theatre program was to force you to acclimate to Anglo culture, mainstream American culture, and there is a lot of good in that. Some parents discourage them from speaking Spanish, also, so it’s not unheard of,” said Wiley.

“To me it was kind of an ugly history, very upsetting. In effect we were trying to do New York style theatre in the Rio Grande Valley.

As talented and as knowledgeable as some people are in the theatre program, ultimately you’re trying to be like New Yorkers and neither the audience or theater majors are New Yorkers. To to me it was an inappropriate approach. Nobody is really interested in seeing our imitations of New York theatre.”

If we have to be honest, the suppression isn’t entirely the fault of old theatre faculty members. We suppress ourselves. We look up to those New York shows just because the names and faces are plastered on signs and billboards and we strive to be like that. We

refuse to embrace our culture because we have longed viewed ourselves, the area we come from and the people in it, as just simply not good enough. Blame mainstream American culture and a misunderstanding of the American Dream for creating the idea of inferiority inside of our head - but also blame ourselves for believing in it and letting it grow. We look over to other pastures to gaze upon greener grass but we refuse to fix our own lawn. Truthfully, though, many of us view the Valley as a place with little to no signs of life because we have been fed that since we could remember. Yet we never decided to try and breathe life into it ourselves.

“When you embrace the culture that is here in the Valley then suddenly we become a very dynamic and interesting theatre program,” said Wiley. “The Greeks were not trying to imitate New York theatre, it didn’t even exist then, they did original works that engaged Greek values. Same with Shakespeare and Moyer so one way or another, I think it is important to connect the theatre to its local community.”

That’s the main point of the Initiative. It’s about connection, joining with a community and its people after long being isolated from one another and being pointed in other directions rather than looking to ourselves. Embracing the lifestyle we often choose to ignore, getting back the voice that we thought think was lost.

“You have to fight for this ranch! You have to fight for this fucking ranch!,” yells Wiley at the last practice before Pachanga’s trip to the New Orleans Fringe Theatre Festival. This is more than a call to get the actors to yell their lines with more authority. This is a call for a culture to fight for its voice.

“One man in particular told us that he had come to UTPA 20 years ago to act and was quickly told there were no opportunities for him. He was from Reynosa and had a strong accent so he went into a different field,” Wiley continued. “So he came to us afterwards and was very emotional and said how much he appreciated what we did and his daughter is going to be a Theatre major here in the fall.”

That’s the power of change. It took a while to arrive but the drive of one man and his students led to an initiative to help all Latino students and aspiring actors to reach their potential. It’s a small start but it is growing, becoming more powerful each and every year; accomplishing brave and exciting feats at nearly every turn, just like the culture it represents.

The “Pachangueros” performed at HESTEC 2013’s Congressional Dinner, the opening reception for the university’s week-long community engagement event.

STUDENT LIFE

15

MY LITTLE

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STUDENT LIFE

MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP REACHES RIO GRANDE VALLEY

BY ASHLEY HERNANDEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLOS MOLINA

An 8-year-old girl jumps up and down, reaching for a plastic box containing a purple pony labeled Twinkle Star. Suddenly, a hand swoops in from above and plucks the toy from the shelf. She turns around and looks up. In front of her is a male in his late teens with a shopping cart carrying half a dozen “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” pony figurines. His black T-Shirt features a picture of Twinkle Star and the word “Brony” in bold white letters below the pony.“Here you go,” he says, handing over the box.

She looks at him in shock. “Thank you.”

The world of the bronies is magical, magnificent, mesmerizing and excessive to some degree, evident in the case of one brony who is engaged -yes, that’s right, engaged- to the fictional fourlegged pony, Twilight Sparkle. On the flipside, there are the typical fans who fancy the show’s ability to bring out their inner child and enjoy the common interest with their friends.

So what is a brony? There are two requirements: You have to be male, and a fan of the hit show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” (MLP:FIM).

“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” follows the adventures of unicorn ponies Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity as they travel through the land of Equestria overcoming perils in the name of friendship. The show premiered on Oct.10, 2010 and targeted young girls ages two to 11. However, the series has gained an unexpected fan base; a large following of males, both teens and adults, who call themselves “Bronies,” a word formed by the mix of “bro” and pony.

Automatically, you think of bronies as obsessive fans with shrines dedicated to the MLP:FIM show, with no social life and introverted personalities. But that is not the case for UTPA student Stevan Rivas, who has bonded with his friends thanks to the show. “We all have our favorite characters, we discuss what we think will happen, we share funny videos made by fans,” the mass communications major said. “ We have our debates... It has improved our friendship so well it’s like we’re even closer than ever before.”

By using MLP:FIM on Netflix as background noise, Hector Leon soon found himself hooked to the series. Only recently did Leon start collecting MLP:FIM comic books with emphasis on

Yes, it is aimed for little girls, but the characters are likeable and well written.

issues with special covers that feature collectible trading cards.

“Before I knew it, I was paying more attention to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic than on what I was doing,” the public relations major said. “Yes it is aimed for little girls but the characters are likeable and well written. I like that and it’s something I think goes past ages.”

Not only is the story relatable, but the characters’ cute and witty personalities keep the fans coming back. A brony for two years now, Rivas still finds it difficult to chose a favorite character in the show because he finds each character’s persona adorable. The 22-yearold has a collection of several MLP: FIM toy figures including six plushies, several mini figurines and a cardboard display board. “I have three (characters) that compete for my number one favorite spot. Fluttershy is one of my favorite characters because she is caring, loving and she loves animals. My final favorite character is …you guessed it,” Rivas said with a laugh. “Rainbow Dash. I see a resemblance towards her because I always do my best for most things and I’m loyal to my friends. She is a bit hot-tempered and likes to rush into things headstrong, but she always does her best no matter what the task.”

The brony phenomenon is alive and kicking in the Rio Grande Valley through the RG Bronies Club at UTPA, a smaller branch of the RGV Bronies group, which represents the brony community in the Valley. The RG Bronies made its way onto campus in fall 2013 and currently has eight members. The club meets every Thursday to discuss how to spread the word of their club’s existence and plan future events that students can take part in. RG Bronies Club practices MLP lessons by collecting donations for toy drives, disaster relief and other local charities. Another club activity is fundraising for traveling to BronyCon, the world’s largest convention for MLP:FIM fans. What started out as a one-day event in New York City with just 100 attendees and has grown to over 8,000 fans worldwide.

According to Naaman Christopher Torres, vice president of UTPA’s RG Bronies Club, the brony phenomenon is no surprise because the demographic of the show was to capture a family audience. “Lauren Faust, the same person who worked on The Powerpuff Girls, created MLP: FIM,” said the 19-year-old. “The show was made on the basis of trying not to be too girly, thus making it noticeable by the opposite gender. MLP: FIM tends to have references that the male audience will know (loyalty, kindness, and more) and the plots of the episodes are unique to where both genders can enjoy.”

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17

I did feel embarrassed once, but that was during my early times as a newbie brony.

IT TOOK ME AT LEAST A WEEK TO NOTICE THAT I WASN’T ALONE. According to Torres, both females and males are welcome to join the club and though female fans are referred to as “Pegasisters,” most prefer to be called Bronies as well. “The club currently has two female members and always welcomes more…the reason behind the creation of the club was to find a way to spread the fun of RGV Bronies to the campus of UTPA,” Torres said. “But more importantly to promote the lessons that MLP: FIM teaches: kindness, generosity, and honesty by helping the community.”

Whether you are a closet-brony or wave your brony flag proudly, the go-to spot for bronies to hang out is the web. Online you can find fan-made videos (PONY.MOV), fan art, fan-made music, minecraft servers (PonyMc), forums (Fallout Equestria), dating websites such as BronyMate and pony-themed websites such as Equestria Daily and Ponychan.

Hector Dimas is just one of the thousands of bronies who submit fan art to be featured in the website, Equestria Daily. He began drawing ponies by printing out about 25 copies from a “How to Draw Ponies” guide as practice. He loves to create a unique storyline with the ponies he creates which are usually representations of himself in one way or another.

“There are always times where you want to change things, add your own pony to a story,” said the computer engineering major. “The way

my pony acts is actually the way I act: cute, adorable, and very funny...

But most of all, I just draw ponies to express myself.”

Fond of the multiple fan-based media platforms, Dimas also enjoys the fan-made spin-off series and creates pony avatars he uses in the minecraft server, PonyMc. “I watched the PONY.MOV series for humor,” the RG Bronies Club member said. “I enjoy a good laugh and after I found out I had the Hub (the cable network the show airs on), I decided to watch MLP:FIM.” With a habit for browsing various forums and image boards for internet news, John Garcia found himself about to be introduced to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic by a pink pony. “I had noticed recent images of a pink pony appearing everywhere I went and I wondered who in the world this pink pony was,” said the 29-year-old. “It was to the point that I actually thought Pinkie Pie was the main character of the show. Anyway, filled with curiosity on why this pony was popping up everywhere, I set out with a goal to find out why. That’s how I discovered the show.”

The overload of images of Pinkie Pie that Garcia noticed was a part of the MLP:FIM fan- art frenzy that circulated the internet. For example, by June 2012, more than 500,000 pieces of MLP:FIM fan-art were present on the website DeviantArt. The website’s Bronie group

BRONY FAN ART

BY HECTOR DIMAS

“Stuck On a Couple of Pages”

This was for a small series called “Artist’s Training Grounds” where novice or starters draw ponies based on the topic. The topic was “What will Discord last prank be before he reforms to good” and this came to mind. Discord, being silly, super glued all the books on every page in Twilight’s Library.

18

STUDENT LIFE

BY HECTOR DIMAS This was for a friend that and play with in Minecraft, PonyMC.All pony and pony stuff. He goes by the name of Bubble Berry, the swap gender of Pinkie Pie, and I like to say jokes and stuff.Well, I was playing in the server and he was thinking of something to draw. I had an idea.

I always do actions, such as hugs and pokes, but at times I just type “/ me jumps inside Bubble’s mane” because its infinite. So! Why not draw my own pony, Inax, peeking his head out of Bubble’s mane

dedicated to posting brony fan-art was founded in 2011 and has 29,238 members, 759,886 page views, and 29,330 watchers.

The majority of people cringe at the idea of adult males digging a show targeted at little girls, which is why bronies’ sexuality and gender are frequently called into question, according to The Wall Street Journal. The ongoing debate of whether or not being a brony is weird or inappropriate continues.

Kurt Schlichter of BigHollywood.com called the phenomenon a “terrifying new trend,” and wrote, “All the while, as these pathetic sissies giggle like school girls over magic unicorns that spray rainbows from their horns, real men – and women – who have put aside the temptation to retreat into a frivolous fantasy world are tromping through the wilds of Afghanistan…”

On a similar note, Jose Villarreal, who was introduced to the show by a friend, didn’t find anything wrong with the fandom at first until he realized how intense and inappropriate bronies could be by associating practically everything to the show. Especially the sentiment that the show is so great that the world should be re-centered around it.

“I find the older male fans definitely weird,” said the computer science major. “They mostly say that it has a good message, which I’ll concede. However, this message is targeted at young people who haven’t heard it before, not 20-year-old somethings who should already know that sharing is good... It leads me to feel like they must be misadjusted individuals if children’s morality stories, or the sincerity they’re delivered with, is some sort of revelation to them.”

At first, one might be tempted to agree with the negativity being promoted throughout the media, but Jaime Ramos suggests that such a negative approach to the brony community is due to a lack of understanding. “Sure, when you first hear about grown men being into My Little Pony, you can’t help but think ‘that’s weird,’” said the biology major. “I for sure did! But after a while, I thought ‘what the hell?’ As long as their hobby doesn’t harm me or the people around me, I have no problem with it. Everyone has the right to be free to do what they like.”

Due to the brony scrutiny, Dimas was a slightly ashamed and intimidated from the stereotypical criticism and found himself trying to hide his interest in the MLP:FIM from his dad who is a member of the military. “The obvious Derpy Necklace (character pendent) and two My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cups and most definitely my ponified Facebook and desktop sort of revealed a lot,” said the 19-year-old. “So I failed, but at least my dad is cool about it.”

In the beginning stages of becoming a full-fledged brony fan, Dimas revealed he did feel shy and embarrassed about his hobby during high school but that quickly changed when he found friends with the same interest. “I did feel embarrassed once, but that was during my early times as a newbie brony. Took me at least a week to notice that I wasn’t alone and I found out there were bronies at my high school when I was a senior,” Dimas said. “These days I just try to let my Derpy necklace and wristbands become more obvious to show that, ‘Yes! I am a brony!’”

Having been a part of the brony community for more than two years, John Garcia disagrees with the backlash that is associated with being a brony and openly defends his interest. “I respond to the stereotypical criticism the same way I would reply to anyone who allows stereotypes to dictate their entire view of a group of people,” the Weslaco native said. “I call them ignorant and then correct them on everything that is wrong with their claim, with the parting note that if they don’t believe me they should find out through first-hand experience. I’m not trying to make them smarter. I just want to make sure they have their facts straight before they shoot off their mouths again.”

As long as their hobby

doesn’t harm

me or the people around me,

I have no problem with it.

Everyone has the

right to be free

to do what

they like.

STUDENT LIFE

19

MAKE A MOVE OR MOVE OVER

BY STEPHANIE MELCHOR

You’re having lunch with your best friend and across the room you see a guy with the kind of hair you just want to run your fingers through, wearing a perfectly fitted V-neck, and with just the right amount of scruff. His seemingly carefree demeanor and charming laugh has you captivated. After a careful, fiveminute deliberation with your subconscious, you’ve decided-you’re in love. And suddenly- be still, my heart- he’s noticed you too. His eye contact makes you nervous, and you’re fidgeting in your seat, correcting your posture and hair, with the hopes that you look as composed as possible. Your mind is racing through all of the possible scenarios that could play out.

The two of you keep shooting shy glances at each other, but as soon as your eyes meet, you turn quickly back to your food, because let’s face it- most of our scenarios never go as planned and you forgot what comes after the long awkward stare.

Throughout the rest of your lunch, you’re hoping that your tab doesn’t arrive first because that means you’ll leave before him and never see him again.

Fortunately he ends up paying his check first, and you’re sitting at your table nervously twirling your hair as he’s about to walk past you, until finally one last glance, you two exchange a smirk, and then...he’s gone forever.

What the hell just happened? He totally just walked out the door. The consistent eye contact, the mutual smiles, there had to have been a connection; after all you don’t keep looking at someone if you don’t like what you see. Why didn’t he do anything? While you rack your brains trying to understand why he didn’t go up to you, you never once stop to think, why didn’t you go up to him?

NOT HOW YOUR MAMA TAUGHT YOU Ah, so you decided to wait, to let him make the move because since you were young, you were always taught that the man is supposed to court the woman. We have been under the spell that as girls we are just supposed to wait patiently for Prince Charming to come sweep us off our feet. Well, we’re in the 21st century and I think we can all agree that times are changing. Women are pursuing higher education, high positionjobs, receiving nationwide attention for empowering others and making a real difference in the world now more than ever.

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STUDENT LIFE

Basically, a lot of these cultural norms are not obvious.

They’re a part of you and your worldview.

Women have broken all the barriers and standards that were placed upon them since the 1800s yet this dating thing still seems to be a taboo. Independent and intelligent, are women really supposed to keep playing the damsel in distress?

MARK ZUCKERBERG IS TOTALLY AN ENABLER Relying on the fate of cupid to bring you and your soul mate together in a coffee shop might be just as difficult as catching Bigfoot. From my experience, most girls won’t ask guys out, no matter how interested they are in him, because “that’s not how it’s supposed to be.” But at the same time, I can watch my guy friends drool over a girl and rant endlessly about how much they would like to talk to her yet they never do anything about it. Instead I hear, “Well I liked her picture on Facebook the other day.” Voila! Just like that, nobody is actually talking to anybody or sharing their real feelings. Ok dude, you can like all her “selfies” on Facebook or Instagram, you can favorite all of her tweets, but c’mon, you have to be able to say more than two sentences to her in person. Has the changing of times made people socially inept? The world of dating is evolving right before our eyes and the social media revolution is adding all sorts of complications to our already over analytical twentysomething year old minds. We’re left guessing whether a “like” is just a “like” or something more.

Most women were set in stone

that they would not even attempt to reverse the roles because

that is not how they

were brought up.

STUDENT LIFE

21

Most men said even though they were taught to take the lead in dating,

they really wouldn’t mind the roles being reversed because

women are much more complicated.

MARILYN APPEAL WITH GRACE LIKE JACKIE Since dating seems to be changing, should women still abide by these stereotypes and unwritten rules about who asks whom out? What if a woman were to ask a man out? Is it bold or is it desperate? I say, “You go girl!” But to my surprise, many people still hold on to a certain custom. I wanted to know what men thought of women who might go up to them and ask them out and how women felt about stepping up to the plate. I conducted a small unscientific survey of 50 men and 50 women ranging from ages 19-25 from a variety of different colleges. I found that 82 percent of the men I surveyed thought of a woman as bold and confident for approaching them, and really would like to see things play out like this more often. In contrast, surveys showed that 57 percent of women looked at other women as desperate for approaching men, often calling these types of situations untraditional. Do you see how incorrectly we read each other?

Women want to be equal but won’t budge on something they have full control of. 2013 was the year of the crop top, twerking, and the casual but common appearance of Miley Cyrus’ tongue - yet women asking men out is something that still raises eyebrows. According to the survey, one’s upbringing plays a much heavier role in the reasoning behind women’s answers as opposed to those of men.

“Basically, a lot of these things (cultural norms) are not obvious. They’re a part of you and your worldview,” said Dr. Jeff McQuillen, Communication Graduate Coordinator at UTPA who teaches gender communication. “You don’t go back and say ‘The reason I don’t do this or that is because my dad taught me not to or because it’s part of the Mexican tradition.’ It’s just something instilled in you.”

Most men said even though they were taught to take the lead in dating, they really wouldn’t mind the roles being reversed because women are much more complicated than they are. Men also said they were often completely oblivious to notice if a woman has shown interest so if a woman were to ask them out, they feel the dating process would definitely speed up, allowing them to really get to know each other. Most women were set in their ways about not even attempting to reverse the roles because that is not how they were brought up. The surveys also indicated that movies play a large role in molding a woman’s perception on dating, being that they really are expecting the love of their life to come up to them at a coffee shop or while they’re visiting some strange new town.

Ladies, can we please just let go of our fairy tale fantasy and gender stereotypes and make a move if you want to?

USER’S GUIDE You’ve read the facts, you’ve compared similarities and you’ve pored over that situation where you really wanted to say something to that cute guy in class but postponed it until the last week of the semester. Finally, we see that we’re nowhere near as brave as we think we are. Next time, say something.

Here’s what you’ll do- you’re going to put on your invisible crown, gather every ounce of confidence in that body of yours (don’t think about how your hair looks because dudes aren’t paying attention to split ends) and you’re going to walk up to him, flash that smile and introduce yourself. Chivalry isn’t dead; you can practice it too, ladies.

57% of women thought they would look

desperate

for making the first move

82% of men

thought a woman would be

bold and confident

for approaching them 22

STUDENT LIFE

A M RA

O N PA FALL

4 1 0 2

201

O PAN ALL F 4 RAM

A

STUDENT LIFE

23

BECAUSE

SELFIES

BY KAREN VILLARREAL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO Oxford Dictionaries announces a Word of the Year for the US and another for the UK that is chosen to reflect the unique and fluid vocabularies of the countries. While the WoTy announcements are usually ignored by the general public, 2013’s announcement gained a lot of media attention, garnering stories all over the Internet. It was a big deal because occasionally, according to the Oxford Dictionaries’ Press Release announcing the WoTY, they come upon a word which “captures the imagination on both sides of the Atlantic and can therefore be considered as a joint Word of the Year.” We’ve all done it, in the cozy privacy of our bathrooms or sneakily in a parked car, so it’s no surprise: The word that won the hearts of two large English-speaking countries was “selfie.”

SELFIE: SEL·FIE/NOUN (PLURAL SELFIES) : A PHOTOGRAPH THAT ONE HAS TAKEN OF ONESELF, TYPICALLY ONE TAKEN WITH A SMARTPHONE OR WEBCAM AND UPLOADED TO A SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE

That wasn’t the only reason the announcement gained attention. Recently, the words that were judged to “reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and to have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance” capture utter nonsense. In 2012, Oxford editors decided the word that reflected the mood of America was “GIF” (as a verb), while across the pond the winning word was “omnishambles” - a made-up word first used on a BBC satire meaning something like “all-ruined.” It’s not just Oxford that is watching how our language changes; The American Dialect Society, a non-commercial linguist society, also chooses a word of the year. For 2013 they chose “because” (when used to introduce a noun, adjective or other part of speech), as in “because science.” In 2012 it was “hashtag,” i.e. #hashtag. Because the words are also chosen based on the frequency of their use, a popular hashtag like #selfie could be chosen as WoTy not because we’ve lost our handle on the English language, but because we’re categorizing our pictures. But the possibility remains that there is actual cultural significance to these words; whether they’re used as tags or in conversation, the fact is that most of the country is all abuzz with selfies, and UTPA students are not being left out.

24

STUDENT LIFE

Students shared that in the case of the selfie, which does appear to have staying-power, there is no singular reason to take one, but rather people’s motivations are often as unique as the faces they represent. The one unifying factor: the camera phone. According to industry experts, camera phones that offer greater than 3MP sensors outsold digital still cameras by a 6:1 ratio in 2012. That means cell phones, which 91% of american adults own, are how we are taking pictures.

Today’s incredibly simple cameras, conveniently located in the one belonging most people carry on their person at all times, might just be too much to resist.

Being able to share these ammeature photographs with everyone we know with just a few taps of a bit of glass has sealed our collective fate: everyone has been taking selfies, including the writer of this article, and rapidly improving technology is only making it easier.

Students shared that in the case of the selfie, there is no singular reason to take one, but rather people’s motivations are often as unique as the faces they represent.

SELFIES 101 UTPA selfie-taking student Danipsa Rodriguez explains that apps are updating to accommodate for better selfies. “Instagram has the littlest square in the world,” she said, referring to the grid camera phones provide as a guide. She explained that she likes to use her phone’s camera instead of the Instagram app’s, which was sometimes problematic. “When you took a regular photo it was ginormous and you had to crop it for Instagram. But now the iPhone has the little square too.”

Snapchat, another popular medium for the exchange of selfies due to the photos’ ten-second life-span, previously didn’t support front camera use. That meant that the phone screen faces away from the selfie taker, leaving them to only guess as to the quality of photo they’re taking (leading to attempt after attempt- the selfie session). But according to Rodriguez, “It updated, and now even has a front “flash,” which is just the phone screen turning white, but it works.” She also described that filters, the colorizing layers known to some from the photo editing program Photoshop but made popular through Instagram, have been added to Facebook. “Not a lot of people know, but I think Facebook actually has better filters than Instagram. I like the neon one; it makes everything so colorful.”

Regardless of the app used to take and share them, there’s more to selfies than just snapping a picture of your face, according to the late 2013 Oxford press release. They defined not only selfie, but a few subtypes of selfie, some of which don’t necessarily feature the photographer’s faces. These categories included the “helfie” (a picture of one’s hair) and “belfie” (a picture of one’s posterior). Other types of selfies are taken while doing a specific thing, like the “welfie” (workout selfie) and “drelfie” (drunken selfie). Oxford included the less common “bookshelfie” as an example of items as selfies. UTPA students interviewed for this article didn’t participate in Oxford’s selfie sub-categories for the most part, but suggested that their social media self-photos revealed not a preoccupation with health or hair, but other things like fashion, family, and friendship, which don’t always need labels or necessarily fit into a hashtag.

CLASS IS IN (SELFIE) SESSION:

Danipsa Rodriguez demonstrates the photo guide the iPhone provides. While the phone takes rectangular photos, Instagram takes square ones; an update to the iPhone now allows it to take square ones too.

STUDENT LIFE

25

ART OR FARCE? The art of photography, once determined by who could afford a camera and film, has become so commonplace that the line between what is art and what is not has blurred.

Similarly, self-portraits, which were once only attainable through hours of painting on canvas what the artist saw in a mirror, are now only a flip of a hand away. Smartphones have completely opened the doors to self-portraiture.

Still, some selfie-takers are hesitant to call themselves artists. UTPA kinesiology major Jessica Cantu takes photos on a daily basis, recording the world around her and herself in it. “I like taking a lot of pictures of everything but I always end up taking pictures of myself. I think my friends notice I take

a lot of people that dont take pictures

don’t have those memories with them.

They can forget things.

a lot of selfies,” she admitted. However, she says turning the camera on herself isn’t for lack of subjects. “There are a lot of things to take pictures of. I think I have like three thousand in my laptop, and another thousand in my phone, and they aren’t just of me. When I open my laptop I see all those pictures and it’s a lot of memories. And a lot of people that dont take pictures dont have those memories with them. They can forget things.” She feels that while selfies aren’t equal to the typical self-portrait hanging in a gallery, they do reflect the taker’s emotional state. “I do think about composition and lighting in my photos,” she added, and concluded that “there is some art to it but they’re different artforms.” Greg Garcia, criminal justice student, disagrees. “I don’t think they’re really art.

They don’t take too much time, and have no meaning. There are photographers of course that make it an artform but selfies don’t have inspiration to it.”

THE HEALTHIE

WHAT’S A HEALTHIE?

A healthy selfie, or healthie, is a selfie taken with the intention of recording healthy habits. Either before or after a workout is more common than mid-workout.

26

STUDENT LIFE

Garcia describes himself as not really much of a selfie taker. He rarely posts one on Facebook. For him, selfies are more of a personal record. “I hadn’t heard of the phrase “healthie” but I see it a lot at Freedom Fitness, people taking selfies. I used to think it was weird, seeing someone take a picture at a gym.” Now he takes them himself to track the result of the workouts. “I take them randomly but usually like six months apart,” he said. “That’s enough time to see some progress.” He’s not alone in using selfies to reflect physical achievements. Christal Espericueta, also a criminal justice major, says she started enjoying selfies after she lost about 40 pounds, so taking selfies have motivated her to keep up with her fitness. “You can see how you were at one point, having no self-esteem, to now being proud of yourself,” she says. Her selfies reflect the pride of accomplishment more than her actual shape-changing process, which she didn’t share on social media. That’s one slight distinction between healthies. “I’ve seen people at the gym working out, taking pictures of themselves, but they only take upper body because they need to work on their legs. When I see them I think, ‘that’s good, they’re tracking their progress, but on the other hand if they only take upper body pics, they won’t see the full record.’” When she sees those on social media, she says she finds herself thinking, “They just want to show off their pecs.”

However, psychology and marketing student Samantha

Estrada doesn’t see anything wrong with sharing such photos, and actually sees their motivational potential.

“When I go to the gym I take pictures and send them to my friends but the ones I share on Facebook or Instagram are the ones that show people my progress,” Estrada explains.

“I’ve lost a certain amount of weight and I’m just telling everybody how I’m doing even though they probably don’t even care,” she laughed. “Taking a picture like that, I’m showing everyone, “Hey, if I can do it, you can do it too, why not join me?” But she understands that sometimes healthies can be misunderstood. “One of my friends, all he posts about is working out and going to the gym. Other people might say, ‘Oh they’re that douche,’ but if you know him, you can see that he has changed dramatically. That’s why fitness people take millions of pictures of themselves because they’ve gone through so much to get to where they’re at.” Estrada has plans to enter the world of fitness modeling, which she explains is as cutthroat as fashion modeling. “You have to take pictures, go to modeling school, have a portfolio, just like a regular model. It is your art. Not only do you have to work out, but have to have certain muscles standing out from the rest. You can get stipends and scholarships from the pageants, so that’s what I want to do. But it’s a lot of work.” Because she knows all the effort that goes into healthies, Estrada hopes people can be more understanding when they see them on their feeds.

“There are some people that are going to try to put those people down, but if you’re not that person, don’t look down on them. Don’t discourage them.”

You can see how you were at one point,

having no self-esteem, to now being

proud of yourself.

THE SELF-ESTEEMIE

Fitness model-in-the-making Estrada not only wants to avoid discouraging those who share healthies, she actively tries to encourage her friends and family with her selfies, and supports theirs, too. “ I do a lot of ‘selfie and a quote’.

One time I woke up in the morning and on my mirror I wrote with lipstick ‘ you are beautiful ‘ so I took a picture of myself with that saying to let everyone know, ‘Don’t forget you’re beautiful too.’ I might sound cheesy, but I think I am doing something inspirational.” Due in part to her communication studies, but mostly from experience, Estrada knows the importance of compliments. “I like to compliment people everyday, because complimenting someone raises their self esteem a little bit,” she says. “You can feel your self-esteem go from a 5 to a 7 just because someone said your picture came out amazing. A comment might not take someone from feeling a 5 to a 10, but it could take them from a 5 to a 6, and it could change their whole day. For some people who

One time I woke up in the morning and on my mirror I wrote with lipstick “you are beautiful” so I took a picture of myself with that saying to let everyone know, “Don’t forget you’re beautiful, too.” might be feeling a 2, it could make a big difference.”

Espericueta, who despite her newfound fun with selfies doesn’t spend more than ten minutes in a ‘selfie session,’ agrees that a little bit of positive reinforcement could help some people. “I like other people’s selfies when I see them because I know it will boost their self esteem to know that other people like their photos. One friend told me nobody ever likes her pictures, so I felt bad. I didn’t go through her whole facebook, but I started liking her pictures. Not every single one (that would be weird) but I do it more often now. She wrote me a whole thing saying thanks, that it meant a lot for her.”

UTPA selfie-taker Ed Gamez agrees that they can be good for people’s self-esteem, which is directly correlated to the publication of selfies. He takes selfies every day but only makes them public on social media about once a week. “When you feel confident, you take one,” he said.

“When I don’t feel that good, sometimes I don’t share them because I wasn’t feeling confident enough. A failed selfie session.”

But, he also observes that people can be forgiving of bad selfies, supporting their friends’ efforts to put themselves out there. “Sometimes when you see selfies, you like it because you like that person. They’re your friend, so you’re like, ‘Aw, yay, they posted a selfie, let me like it,’ even if it wasn’t a great selfie. Once you do take one, it leads to taking more and more. You grow confident with the camera. I think people do that a lot.”

However, he shared that negative feedback is a possibility.

In his case, it comes from family members, not friends or strangers. “When my mom goes through, she’ll say embarrassing things. They don’t understand why we take selfies, but we do. If I get something I’ll delete it.” Gamez hypothesized that perhaps the older generation doesn’t feel as comfortable sharing themselves on the Internet, or confident with their cameras. “My dad never posts selfies, I don’t think he likes taking photos of himself,” he said, and then laughed. “Then again maybe he does and just doesn’t publish them.”

STUDENT LIFE

27

“Selfie sessions” can last minutes or hours. Maybe the very first one will be the one that captures your personality the best - or maybe it will be the 150th. But please don’t share all 150.

My sister gets 100, 150 likes on a photo

because she has about 700 followers on Instagram.

That’s how the younger generation is.

IT’S MY MY MY GENERATION Filter expert Rodriguez thinks we’re right at the edge of the selfie generation, and our parents barely missed the boat. “They don’t get it. When my mom got her Whatsup account she was like, ‘Can you crop this picture so just my face can come out?’ It was a picture of her and her sisters.” This situation wouldn’t likely happen to a younger person, who would just snap a new one of themselves. The other end of the generational spectrum, according to Rodriguez, has become consumed with selfies. “My sister is 16 and she takes soo many more than I do. And she uploads them all, even if they’re all the same pose. On snapchat, her whole story is her, her, her, looking this way, that way, different lip colors, whatever.” While Rodriguez does share selfies regularly, she recognizes there’s a line the younger kids are crossing. “I think they’re just doing it too much. We kind of limit ourselves, but my sister is like, “Oh look at the sun!” -on a picture when it’s the same pose and everything, except the sun is a little bit brighter“I guess I’ll just upload it too.” Why do kids do this? Rodriguez thinks it’s the idea of being “Internet famous.” “My sister gets like 100, 150 likes on a photo because she has like 700 followers on Instagram. That’s how the younger generation is. One of my little cousins is ‘Instagram famous,’”Rodriguez explains. “She has like 1,000 followers, 5k likes on a picture, and when she tags me, I get all these little followers. And I’m like no, deny, deny, deny. I don’t know what interest they have in me. I don’t go to school with them, I’m not in their age group- they just want likes.”

Gamez thinks it is a social competition. “Definitely the younger generation is like way more into selfies. I have two smaller sisters and they’re posting selfies everywhere. Maybe their friends do it, so they want to do it too, like ‘I got more likes than you’ -which can happen even in our age group, to us.”

28

STUDENT LIFE

SRSLY THO, PRIVACY There is of course, Internet dangers, and whether selfies and social media are staples of interaction in high schools these days or not, Rodriguez said her parents didn’t allow her sisters to get Instagram or Facebook accounts until they were 15. Similarly, Estrada hopes kids who do use social media are aware of their actions. “I have a cousin who’s I think 10, and she has a Facebook.

She posts a lot of selfies. Being 22, kind of an adult, I don’t like her doing that, but her parents are ok with it and they monitor it for her. But for children whose parents don’t, they should be very careful. I mean I can’t tell people what to do but they should be aware and careful.”

#OOTD As for herself, Rodriguez’s main motivation for her selfies is to share her fashion. “We select what we want other people to see. Like, if I want people to see that I did my makeup, or my hair today, or I’m wearing a cute outfit, or whatever, I’ll hashtag it OoTD, (Outfit of the Day) because I want people to see that.” A lot of people use #OoTD to share their daily looks, which Rodriguez explains serve a dual purpose: to get new ideas, as well to shop latest trends.

“There are a lot of accounts you can follow that are OoTD or stores that are selling their new stuff. #goodhairday is another.

Sometimes like, #selfiesunday or #selfiesaturday,” she said, naming other hashtags related to fashion self-photography. The one difficult part of sharing OoTD’s? “I find it really hard to take a selfie with my outfit, like I have to get my face and outfit to come out so I do all these crazy angles to get both.” Still, she says it’s easier than it used to be. “I have a picture of me from middle school where I was taking a picture of myself in a mirror,” she laughed. “Big digital camera, flash and all.”

HEY BUDDY, LET’S TAKE AN USIE Rodriguez and Gamez sometimes use another tag not caught

by Oxford. The “usie” is about friendship. “If her and I were to take a picture together, it’s an usie, instead of a group picture now,” Gamez explained, referring to himself and Rodriguez, who interviewed for this article together. “It’s us.” They are close friends and often share selfies only with each other. “You want to send them to friends and do funny faces or take pictures of where you’re at if its somewhere interesting, like a restroom, ok that’s not interesting, but when you’re somewhere and want a photo and someone to see that you’re there,” he said, explaining why he takes selfies in general. “I only post one a week because I don’t have such an intimate relationship with everyone like I do with Dani, where I can be in bed and just send her a snap and that’s fine, but I’m not going to put it online for like, everyone to view.”

What was previously known as a group photo has been flipped with the front facing camera into a ‘groupie’ or ‘usie.’ UTPA students Eduardo Gamez and Danipsa Rodriguez regularly take usies around campus.

HAVE YOU BEEN CREEPING ME? Over-sharing on social media is not only a problem for those who are annoyed with feeds full of faces. Those who put themselves on the Internet sometimes have to contend with too much attention.

Lots of Internet love can be endearing when coming from a friend, in the case of Rodriguez, who laughingly admitted, “I like to bombard [Gamez’s] notifications sometimes because I miss him. It’s just me liking his comment, his status, the pictures, everything. We’re each others creepers.” But they agreed that it can be more than creepy if you don’t know the person doing it very well. “Well there are some people who request you, and you add them because you thought they were just a little bit interesting or something right,” Gamez said, “and then they just completely violate.. that…” He elaborated, “They like a whole bunch of things and it’s just weird. Like when they go through your entire feed. And you know they did, because they’ll like something that was super old.” When Rodriguez commented that, despite the weirdness, it was a bit flattering when it happened to her, Gamez shared another example of creeping gone wrong. “Sometimes I think it’s a little bit offensive when someone goes through your entire feed, and like ones that aren’t selfies. It makes me feel sometimes like, idk kind of sad, because they liked a picture of a tree, or I don’t know, a waffle, and that makes me feel like you like that over me.”

UPLOAD NOW It looks like we care what selfies say about us, and what people say about our selfies. Similarly to 2004’s WotY “texting,” which is still very much a part of our lives, it appears selfies are here to stay too. And what’s the problem with it? Selfie-taker Espericueta has a word of advice to those who have had enough of the selfies already: “Build a bridge and get over it. All you have to do is unfollow that person or hide their posts.” Perhaps, taking a photo from these UTPA’s students’ camera rolls, you can take a selfie instead.

SELFIE TIPS: IPHONE 1. Did you know you can use the volume

up button on the side of the iPhone to snap the picture instead of the camera button? This helps especially well when you’re holding the phone sideways.

2. You can also use the volume up button on earbuds as the trigger instead of pushing the ‘take photo’ button - you don’t have to worry about shaking the phone to press the button anymore.

3. But don’t abandon the ‘take photo’ button just yet ! If you hold that button down instead of tapping it, you get a rapid-fire series of photos. You’ll be sure to get at least one good selfie that way.

SELFIE TIPS: ANDROID 1. So we Android users don’t have those

super cool shortcuts. But we still have a few things! If you go to your phone app’s ‘settings’ you can change the shooting mode to “smile shot” which is super cute. After you press the ‘take photo’ button, it waits for you to turn the phone on your face, and doesn’t snap the picture until it detects that you smiled.

2. Maybe your built-in camera leaves something to be desired. The great part about Android is the many apps that have been developed for the system. Try ProCapture ($3.99), Camera ZOOM FX ($2.99) or the free HD Camera Ultra.

STUDENT LIFE

29

My brother Aaron had a laugh that was kind of

contagious; not because of the sound, because of his body language.

His smile widened, forcing his eyes to disappear, while revealing the small gap between his teeth he hated so much.

His body bent over slightly and his broad shoulders shrugged in sync with his chuckles as he let the funny consume him.

I’ll never forget that laugh.

He spoke with a monotone voice, though, slightly mumbling his words as he fired witty comments and subtle jokes to those with which he spoke.

We share the same sense of humor.

He had a distinct walk.

His stocky frame moved with a slow rhythm, slightly weaving from side to side as if his shoulders were controlling his weight distribution.

It’s the little things like this I miss the most.

THEN

BY LEA VICTORIA JUAREZ

I was inebriated beyond belief when my mom woke me up around 3 a.m. June 1.

“Aaron’s in the hospital,” her voice quivered between what I understood as tears.

30

STUDENT LIFE

My brother Aaron lived in Corpus Christi. I spoke to him on the phone just few hours earlier while he was driving home from work.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he responded.

We said it every time, without fail, before hanging up.

I don’t even remember getting in the car or much of the drive to Corpus. I didn’t have my glasses on and was still feeling the effects of the alcohol so everything was both literally and metaphorically blurry.

I had to throw up - that much I remember. As we sped down Highway 77, I stuck my head out the window and failed at my attempt to vomit outside. Chunks blew everywhere and its scent stung my nostrils.

After what seemed like a 20 minute drive from the Valley, we got to Christus Spohn Hospital in the south side of Corpus, and I headed straight for the restroom. I sobered up some by that point, determined to rinse my mouth and get the chunks of my night out of my hair.

I wasn’t very concerned about my brother being in the hospital. Whatever it was, he’ll be fine.

He was my big brother; nothing could hurt him.

“Lea, they’re looking for you.”

This faceless voice pointed me in the right direction and I found my blurry parents huddled together in a corner.

“Aaron’s gone,” mom whispered between sobs.

I didn’t understand.

“What?”

“He’s gone.”

No. He couldn’t be. That’s impossible. He’s my brother, my best friend. He can’t be gone. No. I don’t believe it. No. It’s not true. No. I roamed around the room for what seemed like hours muttering “No” repeatedly, my shuffles echoing throughout the quiet hospital halls.

An officer was speaking to my parents. He stood shoulder-width apart, with his hands crossed below the belt. Attempting to make out his facial expression, I ran up to him.

“Where is he? Is he OK? I need to see him. I need to talk to my brother,” I said clutching his arm.

“I’m sorry, Miss,” he said in a solemn tone.

We were led into another room. There lay my brother on a stretcher, a little foggy for my eyes, but noticeable blood trickled from somewhere on his face. Even seeing him there, I couldn’t believe it. A part of me still expected him to open his eyes or grab my hand and say, “I’m OK, little Lea.” But he didn’t.

I should have stayed there with him. I wanted to stay there with him, but I staggered out of the room as the world around me continued to spin, only remaining still if I focused hard enough.

He was supposed to come home that weekend.

THE ROAD SO FAR Every day this event plays out in my head. Everyday I relive the events that unfolded June 1 as I go about my routine, talking to people and doing my work.

But I push forward, not exactly sure how to cope. Sometimes I space out, using my memories to carry me and the love of my friends and family. The people around me keep me whole and keep me sane.

Aaron’s passing has brought many closer together. The way I see it is, a part of him lives on in those he cared for. If only there was a way to meet every life he touched. Then maybe all the little pieces could be assembled again.

Trying to weave my way through this transitional period of my life has proven difficult. It’s been a slow process and there’s not one right way to do it, but it’s an eye opening experience when someone unexpectedly gets taken away.

If anything, the little things matter more than ever now. It’s the little things that I’ll always remember.

Police say Aaron Juarez was fatally struck by 31-year-old David Alvarez at a Whataburger in Corpus Christ after accidentally dinging Alvarez’s brother’s vehicle. Alvarez was out on a bond for a DUI when the incident occurred. The two cases are simultaneously ongoing.

June 1 - Incident June 3 - Aaron Vincent Juarez Scholarship started by Joe Cerda and Humberto Gonzalez with permission from the Juarez family June 6 - David Alvarez was arrested on a murder charge with a bond set at $200,000. Day of the funeral June 13 - Bond reduction hearing for murder charge and bond reinstatement on DUI July 27 - Pro boxer Omar Figueroa Jr. promotes scholarship on Showtime Aug. 2 - Second bond reduction hearing for murder charge and bond reinstatement on DUI Aug. 17 - Inaugural basketball game fundraiser for scholarship Aug. 29 - Case is indicted as manslaughter September - Ronald Yang becomes first recipient of the Aaron Vincent Juarez Scholarship Sept. 12 - Alvarez arraigned, pled not guilty Oct. 15 - Bond reduction hearing: Manslaughter bond reduced to $100,000 and bond reinstatement on DUI October Trial to begin Nov. 14 Oct. 26 - BBQ fundraiser in Kingsville November - Trial postponed to February Jan. 25 - Inaugural Aaron Vincent Juarez BBQ Cook-off February- Trial postponed to April April - Trial set for April 8 postponed to April 28

STUDENT LIFE

31

bedrooms of the valley

BY PHOTOJOURNALISM 4326 STUDENTS

ASHLEY CENTENO (ABOVE) Rosa Morales lives with her youngest daughter and granddaughter in a small wooden home in San Carlos, Texas. She spends most of her time at an adult care center and in dialysis due to her diabetes.

ADRI GONZALEZ My boyfriend, Trey, owns two pugs named Taz and Trooper. They are always by his side and long for love and affection. Taz and Trooper are his whole world.

32

STUDENT LIFE

ALFONSO QUEVEDO A bedroom is where one can escape from the world and hide to do whatever they please. This individual in particular likes to remove the sheets from his bed and exercise on it.

JACKIE CONTRERAS (BELOW)

My brother uses his bedroom as a Jimi Hendrix shrine. His walls are also covered with Hot Wheel collectibles, music and movie posters. He looks on with admiration at his idol while wearing a shirt of the famous musician himself.

STUDENT LIFE

33

34

STUDENT LIFE

‘‘

exploring our superstitions

BY CLAUDIA VICTORIA LEMUS GRAPHIC BY MATTHEW SUSAITA

You are walking down your driveway late at night with several bags of trash in hand when a sudden gust of chilling wind sends a trail of goose bumps down your spine. In an instant, you feel every hair in your arms stand on end as you set the bags down to open the trash bin.

Next thing you know, you’re dumping the bags hastily into the bin unable to shake the feeling that someone- or something, is watching you from within cover of the shadows.

Just as you talk yourself into running back into the safe haven of your house, your eyes dart up above you and focus in on one of the swaying trees standing just a few feet from you.

There, perched amid a lanky branch, you meet the piercing owlish-yellow eyes of your fearsome childhood nightmare, la lechuza.

MEXICAN LEGENDS Lechuzas, according to frightening tales passed down to generations of children in Mexico and border regions like the Rio Grande Valley since Spanish colonial times, are brujas witches - who transform themselves into birds to haunt people.

These stories are often told to instill fear into chiquillos chiflados, a term we used widely in South Texas and Mexico to describe children with bad behavior.

Although the details of these daunting legends vary depending on the storyteller, some narrate that lechuzas are the restless spirits of women tormented in death by the betrayal of an unfaithful husband.

Other legends told in Mexican and Hispanic cultures here in the Valley include: la llorona (the wailer) whose loud cries can be heard as she hunts for her two precious children that she drowned in the river, and el cucuy or coco, a monster thought to be the Hispanic version of the bogeyman. Tales of this mythical monster are used by adults in many cultures to frighten children into compliant behavior.

If you come from Mexican families, you may recall your mom or dad yelling at you when you did not behave, “Vas a ver, te va a llevar la llorona en la noche!” Keep it up and the wailer will get you at night! Personally, this was an instant remedy to get me to behave as a child. Not to mention it produced a few nightmares too.

Although some believe such tales are nothing but old myths, there are those who claim to have had horrifyingly real experiences with the supernatural protagonists of the legends.

According to historian and newspaper columnist, Richard G. Santos, people haunted by some of these entities tend to resort to four basic solutions: prayer; tying seven knots in a string or rope; blasting the bird [la lechuza] with a shotgun or rifle; or seeking the services of a healer, commonly known in the Mexican culture as a curandera.

While curanderas are often associated with superstitions of practicing witchcraft, black magic, and even worshipping the Devil, The American Cancer Society acknowledges and defines curanderismo as a “form of folk healing that includes various techniques like prayer, herbal medicine, healing rituals, spiritualism, massage and even psychic healing.” Such systems of traditional beliefs are common in Hispanic American

Vas a ver,

’’

te va a llevar

la llorona en la noche!

keep it up, the wailer will get you at night!

communities, specifically in the southwestern parts of the United States like the Rio Grande Valley.

Although no scientific evidence supports the idea that curanderismo is an effective way to treat cancer or any disease to date, some individual reports show that curanderismo may help improve symptoms, reduce pain, and serve to remove stress.

A curandero’s healing knowledge is passed down from close relatives or learned through apprenticeships with other experienced healers. Some describe their healing powers as a “divine gift,” while others claim that their ability to heal involves divine energy channeled through their bodies.

People claim that the practice of curanderismo is useful for treating social, spiritual, psychological, or physical problems like headaches, gastrointestinal diseases, back pains, fever, bad luck, marital discord, and even illnesses that are believed to be a result of a “loss of spirit.”

Treatments by curanderos vary depending on the nature of the ailment or the patient’s complaint. Herbal mixtures, poultices, or teas are recommended for most physical illnesses.

For a headache, a curandero may place a slice of raw potato over each temple as a cure. In addition, they treat dandruff by rinsing hair with extracts from the aloe vera plant, and may resort to beating the air around a person’s head with a large feather, then rolling an egg around on their face before cracking it open into a glass to reduce the size of a large “energy field,” which is said to absolve ailments.

Some of the most common ailments Hispanic individuals are likely to seek the practice of curanderismo for, are mal de empacho (indigestion), a susto (scare or shock), and even mal de ojo (evil eye).

HEALERS

STUDENT LIFE

35

Not surprisingly, the term curanderismo derives from the Spanish word curar, meaning “to heal.” It comes from the early Spanish colonization of Mexico and combines aspects of Catholicism and traditional folk medicine used by Latin American Natives.

Based on Transborder Chicana and Chicano Studies conducted

by Arizona State University (ASU), several similar healer roles exist in different Latina/o communities, the most common being curanderos, yerberos, parteras, sobadores, and shaman.

While curanderos are mostly sought in Mexican American communities for spiritual healings, yerberos are wanted for their specialized knowledge in herbs and plants for medicinal remedies.

They are essentially the equivalent of a Western pharmacist in terms of function.

Parteras on the other hand, are basically Mexican midwives who deal closely with pregnant women. They serve as primary sources for guidance, caretaking, and advisors to women in the deliveries of newborns. A common belief in Mexican communities is the caida de mollera or falling pate, which is the caving of the crown on a newborn’s head. Babies affected by a caida cry for long periods, stop eating normally, are feverish, and often suffer from diarrhea.

I don’t believe

that you can make someone fall in love with you with a potion, or that Gitanas have extra powers.

But I wouldn’t go up to them to start a conversation, either.

When this occurs, Mexican mothers seek the help of a sobador, who is responsible in the community for improving discomfort through different massage techniques.

According to Latino Health Issues studies by ASU, a caida occurs mostly in babies under 2 years of age. The major causes of the ailment tend to be the result of an injury in a fall, the banging of a baby’s head, or often the malpositioning of the baby in the mother’s arms.

Mal de ojo, or evil eye, is another illness believed to affect children, particularly infants in Latin communities. According to the belief, admiring or staring at a child can weaken the child and lead to bad luck, sickness and death. To protect against giving ojo, believers will touch the child (or whatever they were admiring) to take back the energy. To protect their children from those who would purposefully give ojo, parents pin or tie a bit of red cloth or string to the baby’s clothes or bedding. Several different treatments exist depending on the region. Particularly in Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, the malady is thought to be cured by praying over them while passing a raw egg over the child’s head and body to absorb the negative energy.

Although mal de ojo is often believed to mostly affect infants and

36

STUDENT LIFE

We could not explain what could be wrong with both of us.

So sort of out of

desperation, we ended up giving my mother’s

strange remedy a try.

“El Ojo” is cured by praying over the inflicted person, waving an egg over their entire body. After the prayer, the egg is cracked in a glass of water. The higher the egg white goes, the more ‘maldad’ (evil) was extracted. The tradition varies, with some families leaving the glass under the person’s bed overnight.

children, it can also affect adults.

“It happened to me when I was in high school,” Leonor Carmenatty, senior and communication studies major recalled.

“My best friend and I both felt strangely sick and nauseated all day after getting into an argument with some frenemies in the hallway. I lived right across campus so we ended up sneaking out of school and going there because we felt horrible.”

According to Carmenatty, she recalled hearing her mother describe their exact symptoms as having ojo and seeing her do the huevo (egg) treatment to one of her cousins. “We could not explain what could be wrong with both of us. So sort of out of desperation, we ended up giving my mother’s strange remedy a try,” she recounted. “It was unbelievable. I almost felt like I imagined what happened next. When we finished passing the raw eggs on each other, we cracked them into separate clear glasses. As soon as we did that, the yolks started bubbling for about five seconds.” Shivering she continued, “Coincidentally enough, not much time after, my best friend and I stopped feeling sick and our nausea went away.”

BRUJERIA While Carmenatty and her friend associated their illness that day with ojo, some interpret those symptoms as signs of an hechizo, an evil spell conjured by a witch.

Historically, people believe the practice of witchcraft maliciously influences the mind, body, or property of others against their will. In many cultures, its practice is believed to undermine social or religious order.

In the Rio Grande Valley and Mexico, some folks think of curanderos as witches, and also deeply fear gitanas (gypsies) for their obscure practice of predicting fate and destiny through palm and tarot card readings.

Jessica Gonzalez, a junior graphic design major, recalled feeling frightened by the presence of a group of ladies thought to be gitanas in her neighborhood when she grew up in Reynosa,

Tamaulipas. “My mother warned me to never go there,” Gonzalez said. “She said that the gitanas could do something to me, and that it was bad luck if I let them read my hand.”

According to her, almost everyone in her neighborhood feared the ladies.

“I was about ten years old at the time, so my mother’s warnings really stuck with me,” Gonzalez described. “What scared me the most was when my mother told me that they could put a spell on you if you looked at them.”

While her fear of gitanas felt real as a child, Gonzalez does not necessarily consider herself a believer of the supernatural. “I don’t believe that you can make someone fall in love with you with a potion, or that gitanas have extra powers,” she explained.

“But I wouldn’t go up to them to start a conversation either.”

Whether you have been spooked into behaving by tales of la llorona, el cucuy, or even la lechuza, underneath those tales lie the passing of traditions and stories in our culture, by our people.

Stories passed on from generation to generation, by a mother to her daughter, and that daughter eventually to her own children to get them to behave - just as she was once frightened into behaving.

Perhaps such legends and tales started as tactics to get children to behave in the old days. Or maybe, just maybe, truth does indeed lie behind them. We may never know for a fact whether witches and witchcraft are real because such subjects may be too dark and occult for extensive research. But like some say, what we don’t know can’t harm us. We can only continue fearing what we cannot see or denying the things we do see and can’t explain.

What do you believe?

STUDENT LIFE

37

38 38 SPORTS

sports Sports

39

under the bar

A LOOK AT UTPA’S POWERLIFTERS

BY CAMERON MORENO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO AND ALFONSO QUEVEDO

As of late, there has been an increase in the amount of people who perform intense and incredibly demanding exercises. Some of the most popular include kickboxing, crossfit and weight trainingeven zumba has sprung to life within the last few years. But one in particular has caught the public’s attention: powerlifting. It is a demanding sport that requires 100% dedication and still takes its toll on the person under the bar.

So what is powerlifting? By definition, powerlifting is a strength sport in which the athlete competes in the squat, bench press and deadlift. These three exercises test your endurance, strength and dedication. But behind the sweat, blood and tears; behind the cut off t-shirts and the earphones that drown out the world, powerlifters are people just like us. These “beasts” have lives and relationships outside the gym and away from the barbell.

A BAR-BELLE WITH A GOLD MEDAL You may have seen Sefra Gonzalez at the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex (WRSC) manning the front desk. She is a typical student who goes home and to work just like many of us do on a daily basis. However, when she’s not at school, she is still at the WRSC, sweeping up barbells instead of swiping member cards. Yes, that’s right; she is a female powerlifter. Rare to see at competitions and even more rare to see here in the Valley, Gonzalez has made a name for herself around Texas as a Women’s Junior Super-Heavyweight competitor in powerlifting.

Gonzalez began powerlifting in 2009 using her experience as

40 Sports

But behind the sweat, blood and tears; behind the cut off t-shirts and the earphones that drown out the world,

powerlifters are people just like us. a former track and field athlete to aid her in beginning the sport.

Her original desire came from wanting to out-lift other girls but unfortunately, her high school didn’t have a powerlifting team.

After meeting a former powerlifter, Gonzalez sought training from her and met other people interested in the sport. After these individuals left and graduated, she decided to continue on her own instead of simply quitting. During her first competition, Gonzalez had no idea the sport came with “that big rush of adrenaline” and ever since then has known she likes powerlifting and wanted to do it even more.

To prepare herself for her training, which she does five days a week, Gonzalez keeps an eye on her nutrition. She utilizes supplements to her advantage such as pre-workout and protein shakes for recovery.

Gonzalez knows that mistakes in powerlifting can be unforgiving and mentally prepares herself, about a one-hour prep, for the workout that could potentially end her career with one mistake.

Sports Sefra Gonzalez is better at holding up weights than letting weights hold her down.

41

Gonzalez always wants to make the most of her workouts. She applies chalk to her hands before lifting to help her get the best grip, which is important especially for heavier weights.

42 Sports

Rare to see at competitions and even more rare to see here in the Valley, gonzalez has made a name for herself around Texas as a

Women’s Junior Super-heavy weight competitor in powerlifting.

“People always ask me ‘Why are you getting ready for so long?’ It’s because I try to plan my workout,” explained Gonzalez.

I always think of what’s the worst case scenario like, ‘What happens if I can’t do an exercise?’”

To aid her in her ability to continue gaining strength, Gonzalez incorporates minor crossfit exercises to speed up her lifts as well as doing cardio to decrease the amount of time in between said lifts.

FROM THE SWIMMING POOL TO THE GYM FLOOR Gabriel Peña, a 23 year-old Biology major, started powerlifting in 2011 after transitioning from swimming in high school. When asked about how he started, Peña, who is now a trainer at Freedom Fitness, said he wanted to transform his body. He wanted to get stronger but soon realized that it was not about putting on the physical muscle, but about increasing the amount of weight he could actually lift.

To start his career as a powerlifter, Peña claimed that the beginning was rather difficult. With his background in biology, though, he was able to ease his way into building the muscle he desired and eating the proper nutrients needed to help him to his goal.

I was training for a Strongman competition.

During one of the clean and press movements,

my bicep tore right off the bone.

Currently, Peña is 6-foot-2 and weighs 280 pounds. To aid in his proper muscle growth, Peña takes supplements such as creatine, pre- and post-workout supplements, and is also a big user of multivitamins. The nutrition aspect of it all is mind-boggling: Peña intakes about 10,000 calories a day.

“Nutrition is the biggest aspect of any athletic activity you can do,” said Peña. “You have to think of your body as a car: you can put in any kind of fuel you want, but if it’s not the high-end fuel, it’s going to run crappy.”

Peña spends several hours a day in the kitchen preparing meals for the day. “I eat very big because I lift very big.” With his size, Peña competes under the Super-Heavyweight category, taking the Strongman competition by storm.

COMMON GROUND Both Gonzalez and Peña use social media as a form of motivation to keep going in their competition. For Gonzalez, some of her favorite powerlifters have given her advice and have even been there for her while she was recovering from an injury.

“There’s the good thing about social media: I get to meet other powerlifters from other states,” explained Gonzalez. “These big named athletes can directly message me and talk to me through Instagram. To know that they back me up in the sport inspires me because I’m just a local lifter.”

In addition to social media, Gonzalez also looks to her family for support. One person she credits to being a main supporter is her father. “He’s not like one of those Dance Moms who yells from across the stadium, but after a lift he will come by and say ‘good job mija’ and I really appreciate that.”

Peña looks to Dan Green, a 220-pound athlete who is a “guru” of powerlifting, taking down competitors who are even 80 pounds heavier than he is. “I follow a lot of elite athletes through social media, and being in the competitive world, I also follow athletes who I, myself, have competed against,” said Peña. “When I see how they put up new numbers and even break world records, it really pushes me to want to do better because I want to be among the best.”

Besides looking through social media, Peña tends to look back at where he started out and where he is now. “February 2011 was not too long ago and when I started then, I was only 195 pounds.

I’ve come a long way.”

Talking about the wide range of spectrum of powerlifting, from nutrition to supplemental uses, these two competitors have made the most of their careers, even to the point of injury. Both Gonzalez and Peña have experienced their fair share of injuries from maxing out on a set or trying to increase in weight.

Sports

43

Peùa lifts so much weight - over 500 pounds - in the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex that the bar begins to bend. But it’s not all about lifting; nutrition plays its part in his routine too. To make 44 Sports up for the energy used during workouts, he must consume 10,000 calories a day.

“There is always a huge potential for injury in this sport,” said Peña. “(I was) training for a Strongman competition and I wound up tearing my bicep. During one of the clean and press movements, my bicep tore right off the bone.”

After surgery and a serious amount of rehabilitation, Gabriel is at 95% recovery and ready to take on his next competition.

“Now, I’m training for a powerlifting meet that will be in Brownsville… I want to make a big reappearance to these people because I’ve competed against some of them before.”

As for Gonzalez, two plates have been placed in her forearm after breaking both bones.

“I was afraid to come lift again, but there was a drive in me that kept me going. I’ve transitioned pretty easily, but I tried not to push myself,” explained Gonzalez. “I listened to my body and I didn’t want to lift for pride. Before, I was warming up with lighter weight but now, I’m back to where I was.”

Besides the injuries, stigmas are thrown around on a daily basis towards powerlifters and their sport. For Gonzalez, one of the biggest stereotypes she herself has come across is the intimidation she strikes in people. The 24-year-old said being a powerlifter gives people the impression that her strength comes with having a bitchy attitude. “There will be times where me and a friend are using both squat racks and they won’t come and ask me if we’re almost done but they’ll ask my friend. I’m far from mean,” explained Gonzalez. “I’ve been raised better! They think they can’t just ask to jump in during a set and if they asked, I would offer my help!”

Peña’s biggest stigma is the accusation of steroid use. He has even been asked if he’s used the needle due to his size and strength.

“Unfortunately, there is steroid use in the sport but that doesn’t mean that everyone is using them. People will come and ask me ‘So what steroids are you taking? You’re freaking huge!

You’re super strong!’” said Peña. “But what people fail to wrap their mind around is the fact that results can come from good nutrition, dedication, and hard work.”

There are many other stigmas out there such as the idea that all powerlifters do is eat, sleep, and breathe the sport, but both Gonzalez and Peña are putting those stereotypes to rest as they maintain priorities of their studies over the bar.

When it comes to relationships, Peña stated that his girlfriend is a fellow strength lifter who has recently competed in a bodybuilding competition. “When we first started dating, I would have her come to the gym with me just to workout. I never forced her to do anything; I just wanted her along for the workout. But she took to it like that!” Peña exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

“People like to say that she was my first client, which is kind of true. But I think the coolest thing is having someone I love blossom into doing the same things that I love to do, but because they love to do it too. She’s the best training partner I could ever ask for.”

When taking a closer look into powerlifting, we tend to find the bad and the ugly without ever searching for the good. Gonzalez explained that people shouldn’t judge the big powerlifters. “We aren’t just meat heads, we just take a strong and smart approach to lifting,” said the English major.

There is also a sense of comradery in the sport. According to Peña, you don’t see people talking crap to each other. You see guys embracing each other and motivating each other to do better.

“If someone puts up more weight than I did, hell yeah I would cheer them on. Yeah he’ll beat me, I don’t care though. He’s the guy I need to beat to be the best, so I know I need to get better and I accept that challenge,” explained the Super-Heavyweight champion. “I want him to get stronger while I get stronger. I don’t think a lot of people see that this sport is a brotherhood.”

People will come and ask me,

‘So what steroids are you taking?

You’re freaking huge! You’re super strong!’

But what people fail to wrap their mind around is the fact that

results can come from good nutrition, dedication,

and hard work.

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Skateboarding might be a crime in various public places, but it is totally fine at UTPA. Eddie Hernandez and Eric Gonzalez have a quick skate session before their next class.

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skating the campus Not all UTPA skateboarders are all about tricks.

Students riding their long or skateboards between buildings is a common sight.

You need some serious hops and confidence to Ollie over handrails. Luckily, AJ Lopez has both. An Ollie is a single jump.

Focused and dialed in, Eddie Hernandez is quick with his feet to pull off flipckicks.

Skateboarding with style, Lupe Garcia pulls a boneless jump over the grass gap. A boneless jump is a classic trick that always looks cool.

Eric Gonzalez also pulls of a kickflip outside the Arts and Humanities building. The area between the Student Union and ARHU is one of their standard skate spots on campus.

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playing

to live INTRAMURAL LIFE AT UTPA

BY MARK LOPEZ

GRAPHICS BY JULIA SOLIS

The heart seems to rev up as you set yourself upon the line in front of you. Fingers twitch as you wait for the whistle to sound off the start of the battle that lies ahead. The eyes of your opponent stare right into your own trying endlessly to carve deeper and more ferociously into your soul to break down all the confidence that is built within. The non-existent roar of the crowd echoes loudly down the unmarked hallway that is hallowed ground- the arena. The whistle blows and handball begins.

Yeah, that’s right, not basketball or volleyball, but handball, a sport that can best be described as the thing that would be born if soccer and basketball ever hooked up, is one of the sports that regular UTPA students play in their free time. Handball, as well as many other sports that are offered by the intramural leagues, largely goes unrecognized while the players feel it deserves more. The passion for the game is there, but just like many unique and different events, it goes unnoticed.

Andy Gonzalez, a junior at UTPA who is in handball, softball, and dodgeball intramural teams, believes the time for recognition is long overdue and more should be done by the university to promote the different sports.

“I feel that not a lot of people are aware of the intramural sports,” said the psychology major. “They

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should definitely advertise it more, people usually think the only way to get involved are to get in clubs and volunteer activities but there’s other ways outside of that.”

College is more than just trying to stay afloat between the stress of classes and the pressures of life that come from reaching adulthood. This generation is all about moving forward and trying to progress faster and faster. All throughout high school, and especially forced upon us senior year, is the idea that we have to know everything about ourselves and what we want to do for the rest of our lives the moment we enter college. Then once there, we’re supposed to graduate as soon as possible in order to reach our careers, but in planning for the future we tend to forget about the present. College can be the time to find out the yet-to-be-discovered things about ourselves. It could be about finding the inner part of you that loves competition and experimentation. The intramural league tries to provide that outlet for experimentation through sports.

They provide the opportunity to find things you love that you never knew existed before.

“I love handball, even though it’s the one I’m worst at.

It’s filled with emotion and tenacity,” said Gonzalez. “I just really like it, it’s something that I’m not accustomed to and still getting used to and I find it really interesting.”

For sophomore, Jessie Gonzalez, he quickly fell in love with a sport he had never even played before entering UTPA. “I think my favorite one to play is handball too. Even though we suck at it, it’s something different than the other sports,” said Jessie Gonzalez.

The scene at handball and most of the other intramural (IM leagues) events are usually always the same. The team arrives around 30 minutes before the start of the game. The referees show up at least 15 minutes before the whistle is blown. Players enter onto the playing field to a crowd that is mostly literally paid to be there- the WRSC crew hired to officiate and watch over the event. Every now

and then a few friends or significant others of the players will show up to cheer for the team. The crew and the players pray for no injuries to occur because none of them have the faintest idea on how to handle that situation. There’s no Hunger Games-like tension and angst building up before the start of the match, it’s just a bunch of smiles and discussions of exams and what everyone had to eat before the game. The moment the referees start to discuss the rules though, the atmosphere shifts from friendly to hostile, and everyone’s true competitive character breaks through. For a game that has no real consequence, it is played as if it was the only thing that ever truly mattered.

“I didn’t think it would be as competitive, so it’s nice to see it has a bit of that spirit in it,” said Andy Gonzalez. “We get real fired up, then we lose.”

I love handball, even though it’s the one I’m worst at.

It’s filled with emotion and tenacity.

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I didn’t think it would be as competitive, so

it’s nice to see it has a bit of that spirit in it.

The sports aren’t always competitive. The reason why they were brought to UTPA was to bring people together and really just have fun playing against each other. IM leagues really serve as a way to decompress after the rigors of attending classes and studying for exams. The daily routine for many college students is to attend school full-time, go to work, study for classes after, then somehow find a small moment to relax in between those moments.

Through the monotony, we start to live as if we are caged animals at a zoo, eyes glazed over, echoes of passion that was once there hidden in our stares.

IM leagues help bring that passion and fierce competitiveness back to the students. It provides a way to have fun and enjoy life again. It also provides some of the best memories one would experience in college; some fun and some embarrassing.

“Once I tried to spin and throw the ball into the goal and the guy stuffed me,” said Andy Gonzalez with a laugh. “And during practice (for softball), our friend tried to jump over a fence to get a softball that went over it and he ended up getting his shorts stuck on the fence and it was a 10 foot fence.”

“I kind of block those memories out,” Jessie Gonzalez said with a wince.

It’s something we forget that we should truly remember. We often block out the fact that we can be more than just students that attend class and never deviate off the path that is set in front of us by advisors and faculty. We are guided with a heavy hand that we must always know exactly what we want to do in our future and to never experiment with the present. IM leagues are here to help change that. It’s not on national television, let alone any television network, but it’s important and filled with players who are passionate about the sports they play. The arena is ready, the whistle blows and the eyes that were once glazed over come back to life.

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THE WRESTLER FILLER

UTPA STUDENT TACKLES LIFE (LITERALLY)

BY SUSAN GONZALEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO Leslie Young’s petite 5-foot-4 frame looks much more formative under the studio lighting above the wrestling ring.

Clad in neon yellow shorts and a matching sports bra, the UTPA sophomore charges at her opponent with full force. Her faded denim vest swings as she uses a full nelson slam on her opponent, slamming her back first into the mat.

LENA BADESCU Young has been part of Wrestling Revolution at the Historic Cine El Rey Theatre in McAllen, Texas since August 2011.

The self-described calm and patient graphic design and studio art double major is a far cry from her on-stage alter ego, Lena Badescu. Typically seen around the fine arts complex clad in Converse and jeans, Young bears little to no semblance to Badescu.

“Lena is both kind of like me in some ways, but different in others,” Young said. “We both like to laugh and have fun, but I feel I’m more patient. Lena is more temperamental. But what I really like about her is her confidence. I feel like sometimes I think too much. And Lena is more sure of herself.”

For Young, the alter ego is as much part of the wrestling as the athletic component. Portraying as someone else is a way for her to get “revved up” before going on stage. Wrestling on stage is a combination of theater and sports, Young said.

“Putting on the makeup and spraying the green color in my hair...it’s all part of the wrestling. It helps me get into character,” the 21-year-old said. “For me, Lena is a part of me,

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but also different enough to where I can get into a different mindset when I wrestle.”

Maria Rivera, who also wrestles at Cine El Rey, feels similarly when it comes to her alter ego.

“My alter ego is named Fury. She’s very different from how I am,” the 26-year-old said. “She’s known for her anger while I am a very quiet, shy person. But I do have a temper.”

Together, Rivera and Young are just two women in the small, but dedicated, group of ladies who wrestle on the weekends for Wrestling Revolution. But while Rivera started wrestling with this organization in 2011, she said the sport has been in her blood for years.

Portraying someone else

is a way for her to get

revved up before going on stage.

Wrestling on stage is a combination of

theater and sports.

“I consider myself a ‘wrestling baby.’ My mother is a hardcore wrestling fan and has been watching it since she was five,” the Alamo native said. “And my dad used to wrestle in Reynosa for a few years.”

Much like Rivera, Young’s love for the sport is also rooted in familial ties. But in a much more tragic way.

“Wrestling is fun, sure, but there’s more motivation behind it than that,” she said. “I got tired of running from it because at one point it made me happy, so I wanted to go back to it. And being part of Wrestling Revolution has helped me move on.

I’m not running from anything anymore, and it’s just really helped to go back to the sport and, in a way, theatre too.”

ORIGINS Young’s alarm clock blinked 7:00 a.m. one morning in October 2009. She had woken up three hours earlier and heard stirring in the adjacent rooms but thought nothing of it.

But before school, Young’s father delivered jarring news: her grandmother had passed away during the night.

“She had lived with us for a while,” the McAllen native recalled. “But she was sick with stage 1 pancreatic cancer, so when we couldn’t care for her she went to a hospital. She was already older and her body was tired.”

The flicker in her eyes fades as she discusses the passing.

The fighter now resembles a broken-hearted college student more than amateur wrestler.

“It hit my family really hard,” she said with a quiver in her voice. “We were all very close. And I had dedicated a lot of my time to helping her and my mom any way I could.”

According to Young, she had been involved in a number of clubs and sports before her grandmother passed away, including theatre and wrestling. She quit all of them right after her death.

“I just didn’t really feel like doing them,” Young said. “It was just too hard. I was pretty depressed. I didn’t have the energy.”

When she returned to the sport in 2011, Young was hesitant. She had avoided the sport and any memories tied to her grandmother’s passing since 2009. But when she was urged by friends to join Wrestling Revolution, Young knew she couldn’t run away anymore.

BOYS’ CLUB While Rivera enjoys her male counterparts in Wrestling Revolution, she thinks that there is a certain social stigma tied to women in the wrestling world.

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the number of women who wrestle in high school has grown from 804 to over 8,727 since 1994. In addition, 20 colleges now sponsor a varsity-wrestling program from women.

While this is an increase from past figures, this number still represents less than 0.3 percent of the estimated 6,700 postsecondary Title IV institutions in the United States.

“I think people still view it as strange when women wrestle,” Rivera said. “In my family, it’s normal, but mostly people don’t think it’s regular.”

Young, however, disagrees. “I think it’s become more accepting for women to wrestle,” the UTPA student said.

“More people are comfortable with it...I think Wrestling Revolution has helped that by having both men and women participate.”

There are more men than women in the Valley-based organization, according to Rivera, but it does help that both genders are included.

“It’s nice because you don’t feel strange by being the only female,” Rivera said.

Women’s wrestling made its Olympic debut in July 2004, a testament to the fact that the sport has a long way to go, Rivera said.

you don’t have to look a certain way or be a certain sex.

one day it’ll be equal,

and i think wrestling revolution helps with that.

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“Men’s wrestling had been accepted longer,” Rivera said. “But Wrestling Revolution helps. You don’t have to look a certain way or be a certain sex. One day it’ll be equal, and I think things like Wrestling Revolution help.”

TRAINING Typically, Rivera practices five hours a week for wrestling. The mother of two makes time to train because without it she could risk serious injury, she said.

“It’s hard, but it really is life saving,” the Alamo resident said.

“We do drills and stretches every week and practice to make sure we can do the moves correctly. Because sometimes one person can do a move, but another can’t. Not everyone has the same limits.”

Rivera recalled the time a fellow wrestler crashed his motorcycle and used one of the maneuvers from training to prevent himself from sustaining serious injuries.

“He used one of the rolls we learned, and I think it actually saved his life,” she said.

According to STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) Sports Injuries, a public outreach program focuses on the importance of sports safety, the most common wrestling injuries include concussions, scrapes, bruises, tongue cuts and cauliflower ear. To keep the wrestlers in tip top shape and to help them avoid these injuries, Wrestling Revolution makes regular training mandatory.

“It’s about perfecting our craft,” Young said. “They don’t want anyone to get hurt and they want us to make the show as good as possible, injury-free.”

I’m just waiting to get the clear

from the doctor before I go back out there.

But I’m more than ready.

I’m eager to get back in the ring.

BACK IN THE RING Young hasn’t been fighting recently due to medical reasons. The college student has epilepsy, and as a precaution, she is taking a break from wrestling until she is sure it won’t affect her condition.

“I had started wrestling, but stopped when it started affecting my health. So I’m just waiting to get the clear from the doctor before I go back out there,” she said. “But I’m more than ready. I’m eager to get back in the ring.”

For Young, wrestling has been therapeutic in many ways and she can’t imagine her life without it. For the college student, it’s more than a sport, it’s a family and a way of life that she has embraced since 2011.

“It has been beneficial a thousand times over,” she said, glancing at her bright yellow uniform out of the corner of her eye. “I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s given me freedom...to be me. It’s the best thing that’s happened to me.”

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Leslie Young transforms into her wrestling alter-ego, Lena Badescu, a green-haired version of herself that is more tempermental and confident in the ring.

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The Tom Landry mural located on Tom Landry Blvd. and Conway Ave, originally painted in 1995 is being repainted.

Years of harsh Valley weather and vandalism have worn away much of the original.

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Cowboys contra mundum (COWBOYS AGAINST THE WORLD)

It’s no secret that the Rio Grande Valley is predominantly Roman Catholic, with more than five times the Catholic churches than the state average. But there’s a not-so-secret religion in the Valley.

BY KAREN ANTONACCI

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLOS MOLINA Silver-blue decagons denote true believers from Port Isabel to Roma; Saint Landry is extolled for his works; A smoky grill and colorful Spanglish insults are part of regular mass. The Valley worships at the feet of the Dallas Cowboys.

But why? Technically speaking, there are no National Football League teams south of Houston. Yet you would be hard-pressed to find a place on game day that isn’t inundated with jerseys featuring quarterback Tony Romo’s surname splashed across the shoulders.

Lee Roy Solis, a 29-year-old Valley native said being a devout Dallasite is in his blood.

“My whole family have been Cowboys fans, as long as I can remember,” he said before his girlfriend Ayla Ortiz interjected, chuckling. “It’s been like, since he came out the womb,” she said.

“Like if you cut him, you would probably see the Cowboys’ colors practically bleeding. Half of his shirts he owns are of the Cowboys.”

Solis said rooting for the Cowboys is an entrenched part of his family’s culture. But Ortiz didn’t partake in the tradition until she

realized she was outnumbered by her and Solis’s family.

“My whole family and his family too are die-hard fans,” said Ortiz, who works at the University. “I was never too much into it…

I just didn’t follow it, but then when I was with his family too. They barbecue and they yell during the game. And then I was the only one just there, so I got into it.”

Now, Solis said he is teaching Ortiz the way of the Cowboys, including wearing the blue and silver jersey on game day.

“If you’re wearing the shirt, it’s funny, people will ask you what time the game is on, and if they won and how they’re doing,” Solis said. Ortiz agreed and added that she was very surprised the first time she wore her jersey and was treated like a Dallas apostle. But she has embraced the change.

“I just made a Cowboys wreath to put outside the door on game days,” Solis said in October. “And we got little outfits for my dogs.”

If you’re wearing the shirt, it’s funny,

people will ask you what time the game is on,

and if they won and how they’re doing.

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57

It’s all about loyalty.

If you say you support a team,

you should support them no matter what.

Solis and Ortiz aren’t alone, either. In January of last year, Facebook’s data science team analyzed over 35 million users’ NFL affiliations and compared it with the county in which they lived. Dallas’ dark silver-grey covered a swath of the nation covering most of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Plus, there was a fan base blob at the intersection of Nevada, Utah and Idaho as well as small pockets throughout the rest of the country.

The Dallas Cowboys’ second moniker is “America’s team,” coined by Editor-in-chief Bob Ryan after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII. NFL Films needed a catchphrase for the team’s highlight reel and the phrase stuck when an announcer used it at the start of the following season. But research actually supports the claim. A Harris poll has consistently named the 53-year-old sports franchise the most popular in the NFL since 2007. Forbes Magazine named the Cowboys the fifth most valuable sports team in the world, valued at $2.1 billion. They were beat only by professional soccer club teams, who took the top three spots, and the New York Yankees in fourth place.

Almost as special to the Valley fandom as the nickname is Tom Landry. Landry attended Mission High school and quarterbacked Mission’s football team to an undefeated season

UTPA student Ayla Ortiz crafted a door wreath for the start of the season.

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before going on to study at the University of Texas at Austin.

Landry served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants before coaching Dallas for a record 29 years.

“Oh, yeah, the Cowboys are history down here,” Ortiz said when Landry is mentioned. “He’s from Mission and I went to Mission High School and it’s just great that he is from here.”

Landry led the Cowboys to five Super Bowls from 1960 to 1988, winning two. Many claim this era to be the golden age of America’s Team, with a leader from the Valley, an area usually ignored by the rest of the country.

As ingrained as love for Landry is in the Valley, the adorationplus-skepticism-plus-animosity for current quarterback Tony Romo is just as strong- and creating schisms in the Cowboys faith. Romo was rated by Forbes Magazine as the seventh most hated NFL player in 2013, disliked more than both Tom Brady of the Patriots and Reggie Bush of the Lions. Even Cowboys couple Ortiz and Solis can’t agree about Romo.

“The big thing right now is whether Romo sucks or not, like if he’s the next big thing or it’s all his fault,” Ortiz said after the Cowboys lost an October game to the Detroit Lions by one point.

“Yeah, she picks on me because I defend Romo,” Solis said.

“People are always blaming him, but his defense was really bad, so how is he supposed to, like, if he doesn’t have the protection - “ But Solis didn’t get any further before Ortiz wanted to argue her point. “OK, yeah, but if he’s throwing interceptions, then that’s not going to help,” she asserted. The skirmish ends suddenly as they agree - again - to disagree.

But the Cowboys fandom isn’t just dealing with internal contention among the ranks, but also splinter groups that are opting to get their football salvation elsewhere.

Ismael Salinas Jr. grew up in a Cowboys family like Solis and Ortiz, but became disenfranchised with the Dallas doctrine.

“It was just the Cowboys, the Cowboys, the Cowboys, and as I got older it started to become a bit overrated,” said Salinas, a senior studio art major at the University. “I mean, it’s kind of like strawberries, like eventually if that’s all you eat you’re going to get tired of them.”

So Salinas converted to the Houston Texans. His family wasn’t too happy about it at first.

“My cousin and I have sort of a rivalry because he calls me a

A lot of people here just grew up with the Cowboys,

those are The Boys, you know?

And with Tom Landry from Mission,

it’s blasphemy

if you go for another team.

bandwagon fan,” Salinas said. “Like he will have a Cowboys shirt and if you have a Texan shirt on, you’re going to hear ‘Why are you wearing that crap?’ But they’re still a Texas team.”

A bandwagon fan is one of the worst insults in any NFL fan base, and may contribute to why the Cowboys have such fervent support in the Valley long after the Tom Landry/America’s Team era.

For Ortiz, a bandwagon fan is inadmissible in all circumstances.

“It’s all about loyalty,” she said. “If you say you support a team, you should support them no matter what.”

But Salinas said that he supports Texas teams overall more than one franchise in particular.

The day before the Cowboys were set to play the Oakland Raiders in a Thanksgiving game, and as the Houston Texans had lost nine out the last eleven games, Salinas found himself pulling for the Valley’s favorite.

“It’s just like Baylor lost, and I was rooting for A&M, and they lost … so I ended up actually rooting for the Cowboys to win, because they’re a Texan team. And that’s when my cousin sees that bandwagon aspect, but it’s not all about the Cowboys.”

Salinas said he will continue to be a Texans fan though, despite the teasing from his Cowboysfollowing family and a majority of the rest of the Valley.

“A lot of people here just grew up with the Cowboys, those are The Boys, you know? And with Tom Landry from Mission, it’s blasphemy if you go for another team.”

This map represents where in the nation Cowboy fans reside (in blue).

Dallas Cowboy Fans

Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-data-science/nfl-fans-on-facebook/10151298370823859

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60 60 ART

art ART

61

INSIDE THE MIND OF BUDDY PAPAS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY XANDER GRAFF-SPEKTOR

Under the overpass between San Juan and McAllen, a 21-year-old University of Texas-Pan American student in graphic design is busy at work. When police approached and asked what he was doing, he remained calm and simply told the truth; he was pasting his latest piece of art to the wall. Buddy Papas walked away from the incident with smile.

Unlike cities such as Austin or L.A., the Valley doesn’t see much graffiti or street art. But the elusive Papas has been eager to shake the minds of locals with his method of juxtaposition street art. Shying away from the usual fine arts, Papas looks to inspire the world with prints, slaps and a new clothing line. His work will appear on the upcoming book “Voices Along the River 3: An Anthology” and has displayed his version of scary monster “el cucuy” in The Monitor's Creature Feature Series.

He describes ‘slaps’ as U.S. mail stickers which are drawn, painted, or colored on and slapped on public signs or buildings. He describes ‘prints’ as printed media and creates wheat paste, an adhesive made from flour and water, to stick on walls.

Besides dealing with police, Papas has had his fair share of haters. One incident at UTPA landed Papas with some negative feedback from an individual. They removed his his slap from an emergency pole and referred to Papas as having a big ego. After much trial and error, he now plans to open a clothing line with another local artist. They have dubbed it Atman to better reach their audience, which in sanskrit means the soul.

Q. ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD AND GIVE US A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR ART AND WHAT YOU DO.

Most definitely. The word is multi-media. That includes digital, painted, stenciled. I work with all kinds of different paints ranging from acrylic to water-color to spray paint. And, I’ve mostly been doing a lot of prints. A lot of digitalized work, stuff I hadn’t done before.

Q. NICE. NOW TELL US WHAT MR. PAPAS LIKES TO DO, TELL US YOUR HOBBIES.

My hobbies aren’t really hobbies. I paint, create.

I guess music is a hobby and everything else I like to do is drawing, designing, basically just making art. That’s just all I want to do, of course. I’m going to school and I got a job.

Q. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT ART? ANY MAIN EVENTS

THAT HAVE AFFECTED YOU? A lot of my art is inspired by finding my identity.

Trying to find what exactly someone’s role in society is. Hence, the my pseudonym Buddy Papas.

I also go by ‘ME.’ But, I’ve always enjoyed the work of… well there’s so many. Inspiration-wise it’s more personal. It’s about watching friends and relatives go through things. Being broke is a big one, and it is certainly brought me motivation and ambition.

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Q. SO I’VE SEEN SOME OF YOUR ARTWORK FIRST HAND. FOR EXAMPLE, I’VE SEEN WHAT

LOOKED LIKE A SPRAY ON A VINTAGE CLOTHING SHOP ON UNIVERSITY ACROSS UTPA. IT WAS A LITTLE KID IN BLACK AND WHITE. HE WAS WEARING A GAS MASK, SUIT JACKET, SHORTS AND THE INITIALS ‘ME’ WERE SPRAYED TO THE LEFT OF HIM. WHAT DOES THIS SIGNIFY TO YOU? As far as this specific piece, like I said, it’s about finding identity in society. I’ve since abandoned the idea of gas masks.

I feel that it’s too overused and it’s starting to not mean too much. The thing about is that it wasn’t too clearly detailed as a stencil, but he was wearing a suit. So I thought it was ironic.

It’s almost assimilating into the structure. It was one of my early pieces, I would say. (He laughed embarrassedly.)

Q. WHEN DID YOU PLACE THIS ONE UP AND HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN THERE? It was there for about a year. From Spring 2012 until it fell. Of course, they didn’t take it off. It was just paper.

Q. IT LOOKED AS THOUGH IT WAS SPRAY PAINTED. SO THEN IT WAS THE WEATHER WHICH TOOK IT DOWN. HOW DID YOU FEEL PUTTING THAT PIECE UP BY A MAIN HIGHWAY THAT CONNECTS THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND THE UNIVERSITY?

The way that I usually work is that I stencil things out, cut them out and then wheat paste it. Really all you need is water to take it off. That night was kind of scary. Yeah, um, there was a cop, right across the street at the UTPA parking lot. He just skidded off right after I was done. So I just bailed out of there. (He laughed, nodding his head.)

Q. WHAT DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU PUT YOUR ART UP ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PLACES LIKE THAT? Honestly, I haven’t done it in a while, but it’s definitely exhilarating when you do something like that. The thing is you don’t want to get caught in the moment, but you want everyone to see it. And that’s a big thing because once people see it, it gets taken down. You try to reach as many people as you can. It’s something that I reflect on today, you know.

How was it that I went to those lengths to do that? Today, maybe I’d do it again with permission. Before it depended on the company that I kept and who was watching my back. But, the point is the longevity of the art. I want it to last longer than that.

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Q. WHERE OR WHAT KIND OF PLACES HAVE YOU PLACED YOUR ARTWORK BEFORE? I used to have places all around the Valley, some on an overpass, at a skatepark, the Flying Pig Market. Just really rinky-dink places. With stickers, it depends. I’ve sent a few to people in Germany and New York. That’s the great thing about the internet. It’s all just kind of anonymous, but we’re in this community. We just share our stickers.

Q. LOOKING AT YOUR ARTWORK I SEE SKULLS, SKELETONS WITH ROBOTIC LIMBS. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR

WORK AND WHY MAKE THIS KIND OF ART?*

Thinking about it, it comes from punk rock. My family was broke for a long time and all I had was music. Listening to imagery and reading classic dystopian novels like “1984”… I relate to biology and the idea of the (technological) singularity, the fusion of technology and organic material. It’s between “slum art” and aspirations to be something bigger. I identify a lot with Ron English. His work is culture jamming, especially against corporations.

The work by Jean-Michel Basquiat also inspired a lot of people. People didn’t understand what he was going for. Art really is all about the hype -- the value sometimes. The reason people spend so much money on art- and it’s because it’s an investment. They put it away, instead of investing in a company. He’s also credited for bringing street art into the fine arts.

“FINISHED, I THINK”

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PHOTO BY:BUDDY PAPAS

The thing is you don’t want to get caught in the moment,

but you want everyone to see it. And that’s a big thing because

once people see it, it gets taken down.

You try to reach as many people as you can.

Q. ALL RIGHT LET’S GO BACK TO WHAT ‘ME’ STANDS FOR. YOUR GRAFFITI ART

USUALLY INCORPORATES THIS LOGO. SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN? IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM BEING BUDDY PAPAS? Well I don’t know how to do graffiti. I’ve never had nice handwriting. That’s why you never see me tag so much. I identify with art more, although I don’t see the difference. Some focus more on lettering than imagery. The ME stands for a beef that I have for ideas that resonate in our culture. Like as a kid, have you ever heard that “sharing is caring?” You know, you’re mean if you don’t share. I don’t think that’s necessarily true.

My name is supposed to cause confusion. If someone asked, “Who did that?” Oh it was ME. “What do you mean it was you?” So then people could say it and they identify themselves as the creator in a way. I think a lot of people aren’t really creators, because some are just satisfied with having a job. There’s nothing wrong with that, that’s something I’ve grown to understand. I think it means about trying to find yourself and understand the word ‘I.’ Plus, it’s the two first letters of my name.

Q. OK, SO LET’S TALK ABOUT FUTURE PROJECTS. WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR YOUR FUTURE, DO YOU PLAN ON STAYING IN THE VALLEY? AND, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT HIVEMIND IS?

Hivemind is a clothing brand that I am actually developing with another Valley artist. We have since changed the name to Atman Clothing Company to appeal to more people. Atman is an eastern concept that means the essential self. That appealed to us as far as designing clothes for people. Hivemind was too confusing. Our spring collection will be coming out in March. It’s going to be image-based and have a meaning behind it. It’s about identity and individuality. The popculture is moving away from that to more of a collective identity through globalization. Atman will try to restructure not what people think, but how people think.

It will do that from what they mean and say. Of course, it’s about trying to put badass shirts out. Besides this project I’m working with a professor from UTPA. It’s going to be a book of Valley folklore. It’s about dark stories such as the llorona and the cucuy. If the timeline lines up, it should be out by August or September. As far as staying in the Valley, I do have my roots here, but I do plan on moving. I will come back, but I don’t think the Valley is big enough for the impact, like, the one I want to be associated with. There is an artistic community here, but it’s just starting. Like, Alley Art is fairly new and the art walk, which every city now has. Art has to do with what people value like our culture. It just feels like there’s not enough work here.

“PATRIOTS”

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IF YOU GOT VALLEY LEMONS, MAKE LIMONADA

BY XANDER GRAFF-SPEKTOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALFONSO QUEVEDO

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I HAD A STUDENT WHO WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW IN THE VALLEY,

A LOT OF PEOPLE MAKE DO WITH WHAT THEY GOT. I LIKE THAT NOTION.

MAYBE YOU DON'T HAVE THE BEST TOOLS, BUT YOU GET IT DONE. Richard Hyslin never anticipated the career he has made for himself. Sitting in overalls and covered in clay, the fervent 78-yearold art professor gazed with fascination into a still-wet ceramic vessel he was creating. Back straight and hands out in front, he held the shape of an ‘O’ around the wet clay, molding it and pressing it together. His right foot lightly pressed the pedal, turning the pottery wheel. With clay in his white beard, his undeterred eyes and calm smile completed his expression as he glowed like the kiln that fires his artwork.

He was the recipient of a Who’s Who in American Education award in October 2002 and received the Ann Moore Legacy Award for an exhibit at the McAllen International Museum, which is now permanently on display. He has also won many cash prizes in contests and is often commissioned to create huge steel structures.

His latest, a 20-foot-high bronze structure of Tejano music star Roberto Pulido for the South Texas Heritage Association’s Edinburg, TX 2020 Cultural Activities Committee.

After graduating from the University of New Mexico in 1968, Hyslin was told of a position in the Upper Rio Grande Valley at what was then named Pan American College.

“When I was taking sculpture classes, I happened to meet Kirk Clark,” Hyslin said. “He was an undergraduate and we happened to be great friends. When I was getting ready to graduate, he mentioned that he heard from his father, Charles Clark senior, that there might be a position open at this college coming up. So I came down to interview and met the people. At that time music and art were combined.”

Rudy Farris, the art and music director at the time, asked him to be the director of the first art department independent from the music department.

“I declined that, but I did tell him I was interested in setting up a studio for ceramics,” Hyslin said.

It was much later when he actually took the position of the chairman for the art department in 1980. He stepped down after 14 years. He is currently still working for the art department as a professor teaching art appreciation, heading the BFA Senior Exhibit Committee and teaching his favorite art classes: steel sculpture and ceramics.

“Clay is very direct and there is a chance to get dirty,” Hyslin chuckled. “Steel is interesting.”

Earlier this year, Hyslin displayed 43 pieces of steel sculpture, some as tall as 8 feet, at the Beyond Arts Gallery in Harlingen, TX. The exhibit was featured in their magazine. He has permanent steel structures located at the Arkansas Art Center, the University of New Mexico and the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen, TX. “My current body of work at the gallery is based on the idea of recycled and re-purposing shapes that you find in a scrap yard or whatever,” he said. “The one called the Double Arch, embodies the idea of dual aspects. In that piece there are a lot of things that are torn and seem rather tortured and chewed up, but at the same time there is a lyrical quality about some of this stuff that I liked. So a lot of the things that I’m drawn toward are serendipitous. In other words, things you have arrived at while working, that you don’t always have complete notion of when you start out. They aren’t preconceived, you sort of discover them or happen upon them as they were. That one exemplifies that sort of stuff. At one time you can look at it one way and think that’s really ugly, and at the same time look at it with some kind of beauty and grace to it. That kind of duality interests me right now.”

As the son of a hard working father who lived through the Great Depression, Hyslin strived to be a successful doctor of medicine and live up to his father’s dream.

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a lot of the things that I’m drawn toward are serendipitous.

In other words, things you have arrived at while working. That you don’t always have a complete notion of when you start out.

He graduated with a degree in organic chemistry from Oregon State University in 1962 and continued his education for a master’s degree.

“He was putting that on me since he didn’t graduate,” Hyslin said.

“I started out that way and then I realized that this was not cut out for me. I had always been doing art, but more for me rather than because it was in the degree plan. I took it (art) because I liked it, I enjoyed it.

I lived a rather checkered career. Spent my summers working to put myself through school.”

After a few years he decided to fill in the holes and work towards an art degree. By working as an orderly by day and mortician by night during the Summer time in order to pay for school, he graduated with a degree in fine arts from the University of New Mexico in 1968, despite having over 90 credit hours in chemistry.

“Dealing with both things at the hospital and the mortuary made me realize I was not the best at dealing with dramatic situations,” Hyslin said. “You are supposed to be helpful and a comfort to people coming in, and I found I was not very good at that.”

With that Hyslin took a different line of work. For three years he became a chainman for the Bureau of Land Management for the Oregon and California Forestlands. He basically marked which territory was forest and which belonged to the entrepreneurs building the railroad. It was here that he gained more inspiration for his art work.

“I had done a series of sculptures called Inside-Out Boxes,” Hyslin said. “The outside was a square wooden box, but if you looked inside they were intentionally left sort of open. You’d see the curves and the shapes of the exterior of a tree or several. The idea was how the arbitrary nature of us as humans continue creating rules for naturetrees and other living things fitting within this Cartesian thing. A box with an X,Y and a Z. Nature doesn’t see it that way. I did several pieces with that idea.”

In the latest exhibit he created some sculptures titled, Exploding Boxes, which is based on the same idea except they are made from steel. He describes them similar to the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. But according to Hyslin, the Rio Grande Valley and his students have inspired him the most.

“Some of this work is something that might give us pause or make us think a little bit about stuff, and some it based on that. Another aspect of it is, I had a student who was talking about how in the Valley a lot of people make due with what they got. I kind of respected that. I like that notion. She called it tlacuache-ismo (tla-quach-ismo). Maybe you don’t have the best tools or the best that, but you get it done, you know.

There’s something to be admired by that. So the idea of using scrap steel derives from that. ” In a situation similar to ‘If you got lemons, make lemonade,’ Hyslin has brought forth a career in a field he didn’t believe was possible. Now working for University of Texas-Pan American since 1968, he found a home in Rio Grande Valley, in Mission, Tx. “I still have family in Oregon and Washington and I occasionally visit. I did a brief stint at Louisiana State University for a summer workshop, but basically my career is down here in the Valley, doing what I can to move the ball forward. Try to inspire.”

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basically my career is down here in the Valley, doing

what I can to move the ball forward.

Try to inspire.

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70 ART

STUDENT ARTIST:

ANDRES LLANAS DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST STATEMENT: “THE PATH” “Everyone, at some point in life, has to choose a path to walk down, even if you don’t know where it may lead.

My photographs capture the essence of that defining moment when you decide on a path and you’re just about to take the first step. The infinite rows of corn that seem to have no end symbolize the feeling of unsureness you might experience as you wonder what awaits for you at the end.”

“WANDERING”

“FREEDOM”

“EDEN”

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“LINES”

“TOGETHER”

STUDENT ARTIST:

MAGDA KARINA GUZMAN

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST STATEMENTS: “FACES” Barcelona, Spain “Decide who you want to be. Also you can choose every day.”

“LINES” Barcelona, Spain “There are many ways to achieve the same result, all of them are correct, but we always have to choose.”

“TOGETHER” Oporto, Portugal “We don’t have to talk all the time, we don’t have to do anything, we just have to enjoy the moment.”

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“HEAD THOUGHTS”

“SHE DEVIL”

“DEEP BALANCED WISDOM”

“TWINS”

STUDENT ARTIST: NACHO DUNG MIXED MEDIA ARTIST STATEMENT: “My works involve mixing different elements, for example I use my iPad, photography and different art apps. I paint over photos, mix and match, use filters, and cut out images to make a digital collage. For more info or to see more of my digital art, follow me on Tumblr under Nacho Dung.”

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DIY: CHAIR RECYCLING

You’re going to want to sit down for this

MATERIALS NEEDED: BEFORE “I found these chairs on Craiglist. They were pretty cheap, so that was great. You want to make sure they’re sturdy. And wood, if you want to paint them how we did.”

-sandpaper -staple gun/staples -screwdriver -scissors -hammer -craft glue -wood varnish or paint & brush -fabric of your choice

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AFTER 74 ART

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3.

4.

Disassemble your chair using the screwdriver.

Save the screws, you’ll be putting them back at the end. Keep the foam that’s already on them unless it’s too wasted away; otherwise the project will be a few steps longer and require you to purchase upholstery foam. Hopefully the chair you found has decent padding.

Use the sandpaper and get your workout on.

Sand down all the wooden parts so they can absorb the paint or varnish.

Prepare for the upholstering. Lay your fabric face-side down on a table and place the back of the chair on it. Pull the fabric so you have enough to wrap over to cover the other side of the chair.

Start the stapling. Pulling the fabric tight, staple through the fabric and into the wood backing on the chair. Go all the way around, and then pull the fabric over, covering the back of the chair and all the stapling we just did.

UTPA alumn and employee Marcos Silva has a passion for crafting. His latest hobby: re-upholstering found chairs. He shared that friends and family have been buying his refurbished furniture, but Silva tells us that they’re so easy and satisfying to make, why buy what you can make yourself? He’s made two already, and walked us through the making of a third.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

When you get to the last edge where the two sides meet up, make sure you staple into the wood and not just the foam. This chair had a little ridge, so we jammed the fabric into the ridge before stapling.

The last side, which weren’t stapled in previously, is just folded in the way a wrapped present folds, and then stapled down. Again, make sure you’re pulling the fabric tight.

This is the bottom seam of the back of a finished chair. After stapling all the way around, apply some craft glue to make sure the staples stay put.

It also keeps loose threads from falling out.

The bottom of the chair is easier than the back, as it’s just a square and you don’t have to wrap the bottom of it. Just pull the fabric tight and leave a few inches of fabric to staple down.

Now it’s time to decide if you want to just refresh your wood chair, or paint it a different color. If refreshing, apply an even coat of the wood varnish and let it dry before applying another. It might take all night to dry.

If painting a different color, we recommend applying at least 3 coats to avoid patchiness. The picture to the left shows only two coats, right shows 3. It took a few hours to dry between coats.

10.

All that’s left is re-assembling the chair.

Some chairs will have a sticker under the seat indicating which way is forward, so you can place it the right way. Put the screws back where they go. Since you will have fabric covering the holes, use some force to push the screws through. Then get the hammer and give it a few whacks for good measure.

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“GIRAFFES 20”

TRAVIS TRAPP is my real name.

WHAT FUELED YOU TO PURSUE THIS LIFESTYLE/PROFESSION? HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON BECOMING AN ILLUSTRATOR? Well I wouldn’t be able to call it a profession until it starts paying the rent. Working gives me a sense of purpose. It’s something I can do reasonably well and I’m always getting better at it. So that’s pretty satisfying.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN ILLUSTRATOR? Since I was very small. I remember illustrating the first dungeon of Zelda II for the NES and turning it into a book; I think I was six or something. I also had a comic during middle school called “Circuit the Stupid Looking Robot”.

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“FROM ENSOR”

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DO YOU HAVE MENTORS? WHO ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS AND INFLUENCES? WHAT ARE YOU FAVORITE ILLUSTRATORS/ARTISTS THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU? My dad was pretty good at drawing so he was always giving me advice. He introduced me to the Renaissance masters when the Ninja Turtles were blowing up so I was aware of fine art even though I got most of my inspiration from comic books, video games, and cartoons. I’m pretty sure the first artist I got into was H.R. Giger after I saw the movie “Aliens”. I can trace a lot of the organic textures and biomorphic shapes that I like to do back to his stuff. Right now I’m really into Michael DeForge. Check him out, he’s awesome.

WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO MEDIA? WHAT ARE YOUR TOOLS? DESCRIBE TO US WHAT YOUR WORKPLACE IS LIKE. I mostly work with pen and ink and pencil but I also dabble in various digital mediums such as photoshop and illustrator. On occasion I paint with acrylic. My workspace is a messy desk. There is stuff everywhere. I don’t know how I get anything done.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN ART? DID YOU START WITH DIGITAL OR TRADITIONAL? I didn’t start working with the computer seriously until this past year. I was pretty traditional for a long time and I did everything by hand.

“SCALE 4”

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL CREATIVE PROCESS? WHERE DO YOU START? I use a number of different processes to generate work, depending on what series or style I’m working in. It’s hard to say, but generally it begins as an idea or image. I will usually sketch it out as soon as I’m able (keep a sketchbook on you at all times) and just let the idea develop for a while. I’m still developing ideas I came up with years ago. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.

In the end I just try to produce as much as I can, hoping at least one or two come together well.

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO PAINT/ILLUSTRATE? I am quite fond of doodling and drawing detailed patterns and textures. I’ve gotten pretty good at doing it and the process is relaxing, so its something I return to often. I develop these “surfaces” from many things: hair, tree bark, magnified images of insect exoskeleton, and the like. I like to think of them as “natural” patterns, there are always variations and inconsistencies that I think make them more interesting than flat decorative patterns.

DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK? IF SO, WHAT’S NORMALLY ON YOUR PLAYLIST? I always listen to music while I work, its kind of a requirement for me because much of the drawing I do is very time-consuming and repetitive and I need something to occupy my mind. My tastes are fairly eclectic and I don’t listen to any one particular genre or style. Generally I prefer stuff that is creative and tries to do something interesting. Right now I am listening to The Books, Disco Inferno, Kvelertak and the new Freddie Gibbs/Madlib album.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH CREATIVE BLOCK? I flip through my sketchbooks, draw from movies or life, look at artwork, listen to music, work on old unfinished projects, and so on. I feel that as long as you work a little bit everyday you get creative block less often.

78 ART

“FOOL COPY”

“DRAFTS 1” ANY TIPS WHEN IT COMES TO SHARING YOUR WORK? Displaying work in the proper context and environment is certainly important. However, sometimes this isn’t always a viable option. You may not always have the right space or materials on hand, especially early on. In this case you need to think about what environment your work will be shown in and display it accordingly. It’s not an exact science in my experience. I usually go for an informal collage-like approach, opting for visual variety, and color balance with whichever works I choose. This is confusing to some people who view my work this way because there is no obvious connection between the images. Personally, I have always enjoyed these interactions, as most of the work I create is open to interpretation by design. This creates a wider field of context in which the work can exist.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS OUT THERE? Work everyday, even if it’s just for a few minutes, you will get better. Be honest, make mistakes, and focus on your weaknesses.

Display work that shows your strengths. Look at what everyone else is doing but try your best not to do what everyone else is doing. Produce.

WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR? Getting a class of 1st graders to walk in a straight line.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE PIECE THAT ANOTHER ARTIST HAS CREATED? There are too many to count. I don’t usually do favorites, there are so many wonderful things in the world. Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and David Hockney’s “A Bigger Splash” come to mind though.

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80 80 MUSIC

music MUSIC

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ARCTIC MONKEYS “DO I WANNA KNOW” SAUL RODRIGUEZ

CASSIE

LOU BEGA

“MAMBO NO.5”

“PARADISE”

VIVIAN ESPINOSA

JAVIER MEJILLA

KENDRICK LAMAR

“KUSH & CORINTHIANS” REY SALAZAR

MUMFORD AND SONS

“CAVEMAN”

AARON PALOMARES

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LORDE

“TEAM”

JOCELYN SALAZAR

DRAKE

“FROM TIME” BRENDA ALMAZAN

OCEANS

“HILLSONG UNITED” GABRIELA IZAGUIRRE

CYPRESS HILL “MR. GREEN THUMB”

JACK ALANIZ

LILY ALLEN

“NOT BIG”

ANALISE GARCIA

BRING ME THE HORIZON

“SEEN IT ALL BEFORE” IVAN RODRIGUEZ

TIESTO

“RED LIGHTS”

JOSE LUIS GARZA

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sx sw Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX perform “Fancy” together at the MTVu Woody Awards.

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you can do south-by

without a south-by badge BUT YOU HAVE TO PLAN NOW

BY AUDRY OCAÑAS, JAN HERNANDEZ PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELIHU GARCIA

MAKE AN EMAIL

FOLLOW

VOLUNTEER

You’ll want to keep up to date with the right people. We recommend Do512. com, Austin360 and UnofficialSXSW (on Facebook and Twitter) for all your information regarding side parties and RSVP updates. Be sure to follow the Official SXSW account on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. just in case.

Creating a new email specific for SXSW-related things would be ideal if you don’t want to be bombarded with newsletters and promo emails afterwards. It’ll also help keep all of your RSVP and hotel confirmations organized in one place.

Volunteers have to work 50 hours to earn a free music wristband, which grants access to all venues without having to pay cover. However, it doesn’t have the same perks as a purchased wristband.

Registration starts in November, but look into with time if you’re interested to learn what kind of volunteer opportunities are available.

FIND A HOTEL

RSVP

SXSW has massive widespread popularity. Many hotels are booked months in advance and prices triple in anticipation for the event; even the worst hotels will cost more than $100 after taxes if you wait until the last minute. We used Kayak and it was probably the easiest site to use. It really is “Search one and done!” Remember that you won’t spend much time in the actual room, so don’t splurge for luxury. Get the necessities: clean bed, working shower, and a place to store your belongings.

Bars on 6th Street and the surrounding entertainment district accomodated for SXSW festivities.

Sign up for everything. Many events don’t announce a line-up until a good two weeks or less before SXSW. Don’t like the line-up? Doesn’t matter. Sign up anyway. More than likely some of these events will have free food and/or drinks.

Take advantage of it.

Fans gathered at SXSW to watch their favorite bands. Many people MUSIC could be seen taking selfies or groupies around the city.

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what’s in your bag?

PACKING SMART FOR SXSW 3

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CAMERA

We all love to make memories. Save up battery on your phone by packing a small point-and-shoot.

A PROPER BAG

Be careful that back-pack style purses might not be allowed into certain areas. A typical purse might be safer if you want to keep it with you at all times. Don’t take an expensive one in case it gets lost, damaged or stolen.

Drinks will spill.

CASH

Cards should be fine at most places, but cover charges will be accepted in cash only. ATMs are all over the city so don’t freak out if you’re low on funds. Make sure to have a few spare fives and ones to tip bartenders and/or street performers. Don’t be an asshole.

SUNGLASSES

We live in South Texas; you’re no stranger to the sun. But you might not be as aware of how harsh the sidewalk-reflected glare of the city sun can get. Also, don’t take your Ray Vans or Gucci shades - we broke two (significantly cheaper) pairs on our trip.

CELL PHONE (DUH) Like you would have forgotten to pack that, right? So handy for figuring out where you are, looking up show information, and of course, as a cute-person phonenumber depository. But be aware: crowds will kill reception and constant use will kill your battery so...

(PORTABLE) PHONE CHARGER Trust me, you’ll need it. If you don’t want to be tied to an outlet, bring a portable phone charger. They’re only about $20-40 on Amazon and believe me, they’re an investment.

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BAND-AIDS

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GUM/MINTS

Better to be safe than sorry. There is no first-aid booth at SXSWto give you a boo-boo for your blister- and if you aren’t used to walking around all day, be sure you’ll get a blister or two. Wear comfy shoes.

You brushed your teeth that morning but you’ve been walking around for close to 10 hours and you’ve tried different foods. Pop a mint. Those around you will thank you.

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EXTRA HAIR TIES / PINS Even if you did your hair that morning, prepare for it to get nasty with the heat.

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HAND SANITIZER

You’ll be using Porta Potties and dive bar bathrooms. Enough said.

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EARPLUGS

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NOTEBOOK AND PEN

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CHAPSTICK

Sometimes the only way you can see a band is by being best friends with the speakers. If you don’t want your ears to bleed, be prepared.

You’ll be discovering new bands and songs along with making new friends and memories. What if you meet a celebrity in the middle of the street? You’re prepped for an autograph, congrats.

Do you really want to meet your favorite band with nasty, cracked lips? We didn’t think so.

TISSUES/T.P.

Because the Porta Potties will no doubt run out of TP by mid day.

I.D.

As obvious as it sounds, bring your I.D. Every place you will go to will card you. Also, if you have an under 21 I.D., you might have a problem getting into some places.

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SPRAY SUNSCREEN

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WATER

Spray is quicker than lotion and gives you better coverage. Even if you think you’ll be indoors a lot, sunscreen never hurts.

Have a minimum of two at all times or bring a refillable bottle to save money. Water is your life force during SouthBy so guard it well.

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DON’T WEAR HEELS Ladies, accept it. You’ll be standing and walking quite a bit, unless you plan on staying in the same two-block strip the entire night (which, more than likely, you won’t). Whatever you choose, make sure your shoes are really comfortable and broken in because blisters will kill your fun. You can make it to most places with just your two feet.

CHILDISH GAMBINO

PEDICABS

They’re pricey, so leave them as a last resort if you can. It’s $10 per person for a short ride and $20 for a long one. However, if it’s late at night and you’re alone or absolutely way too tired to walk, pedicabs are the safest and easiest way to go. Pedicab Hub Central is right by the Halcyon Café on the corner of 4th and Lavaca Street.

STREET ART

PARKING

We learned the hard way: most parking garages aren’t open to the public before 4PM. Stick to garages that cost anywhere from $15 to $25.

Residential areas across the I-35 on 1st Street usually hold parking spaces for $20, which is about the same that you’d pay for a parking garage. We’ll let you in on a little secret: Whole Foods has free parking for 3 hours. Got a hotel near downtown Austin? Don’t move your car. Resort to walking, it’ll be cheaper.

FOOD

You haven’t fully experienced SXSW until you’ve enjoyed their massive variety of food trucks readily available to the public. Food trucks present the perfect opportunity to showcase Austin’s diverse, delicious, and often experimental cuisine. If you’re in the mood for shwarma, waffle sandwiches, or just good ol’ pizza (we recommend Roppolo’s Pizza), food trucks are definitely the way to go.

You can save on time and eat in line for shows.

Prices vary anywhere from $5-$8 at its cheapest. If you’re low on cash, stop by those free food events.

Austin is more commonly known as the music capital of the world, but the capitol of Texas is also famous for its art. Above, an artist works on a street-side canvas.

QUEUES AND COVERS

Venues fill up quickly. Keep in mind that SXSW Wristband & Platinum Badge Holders get priority entrance into most venues. As a result, be ready to stand in line for an hour minimum. Many venues also ask for a cover charge to as high as $20, maximum prices for shows featuring very well known performers such as Tyler The Creator.

Majority of shows, however, will only ask for about $5 to enter.

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Up and coming, Southern Californian band Open Air Studio performing at the Roof Top on 6th.

Donald McKinley Glover, previously a writer/actor for NBC’s 30 Rock and Community, performs at the MTVu Woodies under his stage name Childish Gambino, a current uprising rap artist.

DRINKS

& PERFORMERS

During Spring Break, it suddenly becomes okay to be a day drinker but don’t overdo it with the booze. Yes, alcohol and live music is an excellent combination but remember to pace yourself. Nothing kills the fun like a massive hangover or an empty wallet by the second day. So limit your spending on alcohol. Many bars have drink specials so actually listen to what those bouncers are yelling about outside their doors. Also, don’t forget many venues have free drinks available. If you feel like spending $5, Rooftop on 6th and 512 are great spots for a cheap (but good) drink.

SPENDING

You’re going to spend a lot so start saving as soon as you can. After hotel, gas, food and cover charges, we spent roughly 250 to 300 dollars each on a four day trip. And that’s not including souvenirs, pedicab fares and drinks. If you’re thinking about getting the badges, they are helpful in that you avoid long lines and don’t have to pay cover charges but they cost upwards of 675 dollars so that’s all you, my dear reader. Be smart with your money and you’ll have an adventure, for sure.

MAKE A PLAN

Throughout the week of SXSW, entertainers of all types filled the streets, including a daring sword swallower.

WIZ KHALIFA

THE 1975

It will be difficult, but try to have a schedule figured out ahead of time. If you’re with a group, agree on a specific meeting place because there is a very strong chance that you will split up. Don’t rely on your phone too much, there’s a chance you won’t have service or your phone will just be dead.

Take walking time into consideration when you plan your schedule. And remember that a lot of the showcases will fill up REALLY fast, so get there early if a band is on your must-see list.

DON’T FOLLOW THE PLAN SXSW is all about discovering new bands and new sounds, so don’t treat your plan like a class schedule. See the sets you want to even if your friends aren’t as jazzed about them. If you’re walking past a band you don’t know, but dig the sound, stop and listen.

During the MTVu Woodie Award, artist Wiz Khalifa, winner of the 2011 Woodie of the Year, returns to pass on the coveted award to 2014 winner, Drake.

Matthew Healy from British group The 1975, performed their single “Chocolate” during the SXSW Universal Music Group Experience at Palm Door on Sixth.

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NEVER SAY NEVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATELYN FLORES

ISSUES 90 MUSIC Singer Tyler Carter & Bassist Skyler Acord getting crowd participation while performing their song “Hooligans.”

ABOVE: British band Bring me the Horizon closed out the night on the FckShtUp stage.

RIGHT: Australian band Thy Art Is Murder came to play when singer CJ McMahon threw two foam footballs into the crowd for a chance to win free merch.

BRING ME THE HORIZON

ABOVE: Mosh and circle pits can be found throughout the festival, and sometimes as many as three at one time.

(BELOW LEFT) ATTILA: Singer Chris “Fronz” Fronzak drew in a large crowd due to his unique style of combining screaming with rapping.

(BELOW RIGHT) VOLUMES: Singer Michael Barr performing at the sixth annual festival while currently on “The Mosh Lives Tour.”

ATTILA

VOLUMES

THY ARTMUSIC 91 IS MURDER

THE K-POP

REVOLUTION 92 MUSIC

BY ASHLEY HERNANDEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO GRAPHIC BY JULIA SOLIS

Modern K-pop idols are pushing the envelope when it comes to fashion.

It can definitely be considered as wild.

Lights go off. The play button is pressed, illuminating the stage at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Silver chains and monochromatic star-printed pants shine on the 5’10 frame running toward the audience with an oversized silver-studded hat in hand.

His fans roar with fierce love and chant, “G-Dragon! G-Dragon!” as he raises the microphone to his mouth and begins to sing in Korean.

Kwon Ji Yong, better known by his stage name, G-Dragon, is a South Korean pop idol who has collaborated with American artists such as Missy Elliot, Ludacris and Justin Bieber. He is a leading force in the South Korean pop-culture frenzy known as “Hallyu” in Korean, encompassing music (K-pop), films, soaps (K-dramas), video games and cartoons that refer to the popularity of K-pop culture worldwide.

By now, the majority of you are thinking ‘If it’s so popular then why haven’t I heard about it?’ Yeah, well actually you have! An explosion of the K-pop craziness erupted when Park Jae-Sang (PSY), the YouTube star, rose to new international heights with his quirky and catchy hit “Gangam Style.” If you have heard this song then you have already been exposed to the Hallyu wave phenomenon.

Emphasizing the power of K-pop culture, this cash cow is one of the most notable exports to come out of South Korea, with the industry earning $794 million in U.S. currency from exports of cultural and entertainment services last year. That’s up 25 percent from $637 million in 2010, according to statistics released by the Bank of Korea.

Finance student Isamar Alanis started listening to South Korean pop music three years ago and was introduced to the genre known as “K-pop” by a friend. The 20-year-old, who doesn’t understand the South Korean language, ignores the language barrier and digs the creative poppy-sounding music. “I love how you can just feel the melody of K-pop, which is very different from American music,” Alanis said. “I have way too many favorite K-pop bands to count, but I’ll give you my top five which are Big Bang, Ukiss, Mblaq, Clazziquai and JYJ.” If you’re new to the South Korean pop culture world, let me break down for you the must haves for a K-pop idol. It’s become a custom for K-pop idols to have a “gold star” not only in the looks department, but also in regards to their fashion, choreography and personality. Alanis’ love for South Korean cultural products, specifically Korean soap operas, or K-dramas, are just another medium for K-pop idols to dazzle in.

South Korean dramas are similar to Mexican “novellas” in their plot twists, but instead of racy scenes in every other episode, K-dramas have a more innocent approach. They play out a Romeo and Juliet scenario and mix in humor with cute moments, according to the blog Mihansa.

One of the reasons why South Korean dramas are popular is because of the hot, hot actors on the screen. These actors are either a future or current K-pop idol who knows that being both onstage and onscreen is a winning combination that transforms them into bonafide heartthrobs.

For example, Bae Su Ji, also known as Suzy and Miss A’s Suzy because she is a member of the K-pop group, Miss A, started her K-drama career with roles in “Dream High” and “Gu Family Book.”

She appeared in 22 commercials last year due to her rising fame.

She earned roughly $950,000 and has been called the Commercial Film Queen according to the kdramastars website.

A victim of the K-drama temptation, Janette Vasquez, said she loads up on sodas and candy each weekend for a night of South Korean shows on the T.V. screen. “I can’t help it,” said Vazquez, a

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Korean Wave Club members wear with their favorite K-pop gear and strike typically cute poses.

student in the information technology masters program. “Not only can I listen to my favorite K-pop idol’s song on the web , but I get to see them in action. It’s really exciting to see them interact with other actors which sometimes are other popular singers.”

THE K-POP FACTORY Throw in some sugar, spice and everything nice and what to do you get? A K-pop star, that’s what! Truth be told, there is a lot of strategy behind that swagger and talent; they’re not all born with it. Each week, hundreds of children as young as nine years old board a bus to global auditions held at S.M. Entertainment headquarters. After successfully advancing to the final audition, the participant will receive a “golden ticket” into S.M. Entertainment, one of South Korea’s big three record labels, in hopes of being a K-pop idol. But, it’s not all fun and games. Once signed into a long term contract, the participant enters a training program that lasts for an average of nine years. According to ABC, the 9-year-old will live with strangers, attend school by day, and is required to attend dance and voice classes by night.

Korean pop idols are trained under a factory-like system which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just proves the prior experience idols have, according to Vazquez. “I think K-pop idols tend to be people that are molded into what the industry wants them to be,” said the 25-year-old. “And after years of preparation they are put into a group and are able to perform.

It’s a lot more industry-based than it is music-based.”

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PUMPS, STUDS AND SHEER MADNESS Every outfit has the the basics, such as a solid tank top or a fitted cropped pant, but for K-pop idols, “the basics” refer to the cosmetic surgery procedures they go through to get that perfect “Western” look. The flawless face starts off with a few nicks and tucks and ends with a heart-shaped face, long nose, almond-shaped eyes and double eyelids. K-wave stars are cray-cray for the avant-garde look and it’s not surprising when one in five South Korean women between the ages of 19 to 49 have undergone some sort of cosmetic surgery, according to a 2009 survey from market-research firm, Trend Monitor.

Growing up, Vasquez believed the “Western” look was natural and not artificial at all until she conducted some personal research of her own. “I totally freaked out when I realized that the K-pop stars I admired were practically manmade in a sense,” said Vazquez. “It’s sad to think that the image they are portraying through their fashion is revolutionary, but they have yet to embrace their natural beauty because society makes them feel like they have to be picture perfect.”

Now, when it comes to fashion, artsy and gaudy street-style is popular amongst K-pop idols. What we find outrageous, K-pop stars find daring and fun. For example, an extravaganza of studs and oversized sweaters with funky patterns and eye-popping accessories, topped off with a rainbow colored faux-hawk and 6-inch platforms is the ideal casual look for K-wave stars (believe

it or not). The explosion of creativity creates a distinct look Vazquez described as theatrical and colorful.

“Modern K-pop idols are pushing the envelope when it comes to fashion,” Vazquez said. “It can definitely be considered as wild, especially in their music videos, but I just love it.”

Being fashion-forward, female Korean pop artists have either minimally revealing clothes or a flashy, no-holds-barred approach, according to Alanis. “Males usually keep it classy and cool but will sometimes wear flashy, sparkly clothes,” she said. “You can just tell that they take time to care for their image and the way they present themselves.”

The world of K-wave stars involves fierce fashion with designers such as Jeremy Scott, Brooklyn streetwear brand, Mishka, and French design house, Balmain. The timid do not survive because to be stylesavvy is to remain relevant.

Still, it wasn’t until spring 2011, when the Korean Wave Club was beginning to form, that Ramirez realized he could make the club a home base for his K-pop fascination. “My friend told me about the Korean Wave Club starting up and said I should join,” the 20-year-old said. “I thought it would be really cool and fun.”

FAN GIRLS ON STEROIDS Alanis shared that one of her favorite places to to check up on anything K-pop related is a blog by Simon and Martina (a young married Canadian couple that moved to South Korea in 2008), who talk about all there is to know about K-pop. “But if I want to go for the gossip I usually visit allkpop.com and of course YouTube.”

The go-to place for fans to follow their K-pop idols is social media.

Online social networks such as Twitter and YouTube are the biggest medium that K-pop fans around the world use to follow their favorite idol.

K-pop video clips were viewed nearly 2.3 billion times in 235 countries in 2011 and the view has tripled since 2010, according to a report by YouTube.

However, the ugly side to passionate fans is the danger that comes with overly obsessed fans, referred to as Saesang, who are known

to go to extremes to capture their idols’ attention.

DANCE DANCE, K-POP REVOLUTION We all love to play dress up right? The same can be said for K-pop stars who earn their merit not only by owning the fluffy scarves and tiaras, but by tearing up the dance floor. They know how to drop it like its hot and steal the show with creating signature moves such as “Gangam Style.”

In actuality, K-pop idols are known for their flawless choreography and there is no Korean pop music without dance routines, according to Alanis. “Everyone that is a part of the dance has to be in perfect sync with one another. There can be no mistakes when it comes to performing their dance on stage,” Alanis explained. “Their performances are top-notch and the dancing itself is way different than American performances and the fact that there isn’t only one or two singers, but an average of 5 singers on stage.”

If that doesn’t sound so hard, give it a try- you’ll soon see that dancing in sync with others and landing a Vogue-worthy pose at each beat takes hours of practice. If you failed miserably in your attempt, that’s because you aren’t a K-pop idol- and that’s okay, it’s not your day job. If you don’t have the time to learn the choreography but still want to move to the groove, you can do the signature move known as a “point dance” routine, according to the Soompi website. K-pop stars dance the “point dance” during the chorus segment and it is easier to follow, which allows fans to bond with their idol by dancing alongside them.

KOREAN WAVE CLUB Just because we live in the Rio Grande Valley doesn’t mean we can’t get a piece of the K-pop action. In fact, the Korean Wave Club is spreading the love for South Korean pop music and contributing to the Hallyu movement at UTPA. The club made its way onto campus in fall 2012 and has more than 30 members. G-Dragon is the frequent viewing choice during the club’s daily meetings held in the Business Administration Building. During the meetings, members binge on K-pop music videos, Korean dramas and variety shows while planning future fundraisers in hopes of traveling to South Korea. “Some of our most requested K-pop bands are Infinite, DBSK, B.A.P, Wonder Girls, and 2NE1,” said Korean Wave Club President, Juan Ramirez.

Ramirez’s first encounter with Korean pop groups started when he was in high school. His friends introduced him to Epik High; a three male group known for their hip hop and R&B music.

Jessica Aleman, co-founder of the Korean Wave Club and a studio art major, expressed how with the help of a loyal fan base, the K-pop group, Big Bang, won an award. “Fans are what make K-pop groups different, as fans tend to be supportive in everything they do. When it comes to worldwide attention, all fandoms from different idol groups get together and support that specific group,” said the 20-year-old. “Like the Korean group, Big Bang. When they were nominated for MTV Europe Music Award, a lot of people who weren’t even fans of Big Bang voted for them. Which led them to win the Best Worldwide Act and another award for MTV Italy Total Request Live for Best Fan,” explained Aleman.

Proving the power of a loyal fan base, Girls Generation, a South Korean girls group, won the top award for Video of the Year at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards. The candidates for the award included Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and PSY. Having passionate fans can be a little tricky, sort of like having a devoted boyfriend who ends up becoming a creepy, stalker exboyfriend...nobody wants that. In the case of K-pop idols, the ugly side of fans or overly obsessed fans are referred to as Saesang. These fans lurk in the shadows willing to go to extremes to capture their idols’ attention. A case involving a Saesang fan occurred early last year when sub-vocalist Kim Himchan for the K-pop group, B.A.P, was injured by a Sasaeng fan. He had to sit out on performances and promotions due to an injured arm. The fan that caused these injuries said she “gets a high seeing Himchan in pain and thought it was fun bringing him harm,” according to the International Secret Agents website.

Despite the love and hate relationship, K-pop idols depend on their fan support. The Hallyu sensation was created by fans and it will always be for fans, according to Ramirez. “K-pop is all about the idols, but fans are equally as important,” said the mechanical engineering major. “I became a fan a few years ago, but I will continue to be a fan long after the fact.”

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SOUND WAVES FROM HOME

BY MARK LOPEZ

For three minutes, it’s about

pushing the boundaries of your courage and not being afraid to Brian Beltran slaps the bass with JD Tijerina on drums and TJ Palacios providing vocals.

Brian Beltran sings his heart out at a Chibifolk practice. The band practices twice a week and performs every Friday.

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unleash all the pent-up emotions.

Somewhere between the sound of the fish tank re-filtering and the whirring beat of a fan on the brink of collapse comes something that is beyond measure in its rarity. Something so amazing that it cannot be described by the bounds of the word “genuine.” In the mix of the ambient chaos comes lightning captured in a bottle, the ignition of the flame, a creation of a song. Song-writing and sculpting is more than electronic beats used to get half-drunk 20-something-year-olds to grind up against each other; in its purest form, when done using every emotion and unspoken thought you have ever had--it’s art. For three minutes, it’s about pushing the boundaries of your courage and not being afraid to unleash all the pent-up emotions. The anger that has built up from social injustices to

the everyday frustrations that occur in life, the build-up of love to the breakdown of hearts, the shedding of the veneer; all of this comes to the front of the altar. They become sacrifices, burnt offerings, to create music in its intended form, the way it was always meant to be.

Chibifolk, an ambient death metal crossover that meets folk, is one of the many bands whose members go to UTPA. The songwriting process finds its roots in their sacrifices; this is where many students of UTPA truly say what they feel through the music they create.

“For me, making music had been more of a way to relieve stress and find a way to say things I wouldn’t be able to say myself,” said the lead singer of Chibifolk, TJ Palacios. “It creates a whole new version of me that is more confident and, in my opinion, better than my everyday self.”

The process to create a song doesn’t start with any official word or moment; the process molds together.

Slowly moving, the atmosphere seeps in from the floor up through the walls, filling the room with a type of kinetic energy that jittery children get when they know something is about to happen. Leading to an event that is big and bombastic, the suspense of not knowing exactly what it is makes the moment all the sweeter.

Palacios picks up his guitar and turns on the amp while his band mate, Ashton Cantu, picks up the washboard (an instrument made from tin and wood, basically what you find laying in the backyard). I have been given the chance to play the drums for the start of this new creation. I have little to no drum experience in my life but the belief in the room is that no experience is needed, just feel the music and the hands and feet will take care of themselves. The guitar kicks in with the strum of a few chords. The song begins to take shape and the fire ignites.

On a warm November night, in the only lit room of the one story house, comes a mixture of instruments all for a singular purpose molding together to form one sound, one creation, one idea. Palacios stops playing his guitar as the music dies down. I stop wildly hitting cymbals to see what his next move is. He picks up a notebook that, once opened, is full of scribbled writing.

The wear and tear marks from constant use are easily seen on all corners of the book. Countless words are scratched out, only to be replaced with new and clearer thoughts. He picks up a pen and writes down the words to his emotions. These are the lyrics to a song, insight into a living human soul. Today he is writing lyrics for a song that combines death metal riffs with a mix of folk washboards and a stadium style drumbeat. He is not looking for any type of audience. He is writing for himself.

“Of course I’d love for people to like my music but ultimately I think I make music selfishly because I write things or create whole new projects based on how I’m feeling,” said the 19-year old. “One week I’ll be practicing three times a week with my sludge metal band and the next I’ll be trying to write banjo riffs with violin parts accompanying it.”

All the practices start the same, with a simple thought and they form from there. Whatever happens in the hours after the first chord is struck or first lyric is written is all up to chance and experimentation. Only time will tell where the song will end up, the only

One week I’ll be practicing

three times a week

with my sludge metal band and the next I’ll be trying to write banjo riffs with violin parts accompanying it. known fact about the process is that it is emotion driven and imagination inspired. There’s no want for any radio time or moment of popularity surge, just a goal to have true creative expression and stress relief.

Being a musician isn’t easy though. “Life’s a bitch,” said Benny Salinas, a guitarist from the pop grunge band The MRA (Multiple Regression Analysis) formerly known as Square Roots. The MRA, at the time Square Roots, has been a band since December 2009. Over the years they have learned the hardships of creating their art.

“If I could, I would have us all live in a house and, like, jam out all day until we go to sleep. That’s the dream,” said the 25-year-old.

“Here’s the master plan: we’re going to record two new songs, change our name, try to get more shows and hopefully build an EP,” said lead singer, Gus Martinez.

The Rio Grande Valley, as well as UTPA, has been growing in the number of small indie bands such as Chibifolk and The MRA. Opportunities are less rare to come by than five years ago. Before, local concert venues were focused on what would get radio time. Now the times have changed, and views and opinions have been altered. We have become more open to different sounds, leaving artists to freely create and display their work. There’s no shortage of scenes and the next movement is always evolving with every season that passes by. The Rio Grande Valley, this small part of the country that we call home, is taking initiative and trying to provide the area with a new sound. All bands are now being welcomed and accepted. All art is finally being embraced.

“I think that musically, the Valley, or the people in it, are giving more musicians chances to put themselves out there and making unknown musicians more recognized. There were times where I would be going to punk shows every week and then out of nowhere

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I think that musically,

the Valley, or the people in it, are giving more musicians chances to put themselves out there and

making unknown musicians

more recognized. they’re all gone and replaced with hardcore, indie, Goth, and metal,” said Palacios. “But I know that recently everyone has been way more inviting to other music types and creating multi-genre shows where folk bands will play with psychedelic and surf bands.”

Performing is an aspect of being in a band that Nick Guajardo, lead singer for Abandoned to Perish, knows all about.

“Before we start a show we usually practice, have a quick run through, no growling or screaming since I’m in a death metal band. Just straight up singing, go straight through it, we put our stuff in the car and head over there,” the 20-year-old said. “I have some butterflies before we get on stage so I jump around and I get pumped, get the blood flowing then calm myself down towards the end. Then we just get up and do what we have to do.

Everyone has their own methods of doing things; I just jump around the whole time.”

All the nerves and apprehensions lead to the moment where the band walks up to the stage. Guajardo dons his homemade mask that he uses to cloak himself in order to fully embrace the side of him that is solely meant for performing.

“Now that I wear a mask for the show I feel more aggressive, like a completely different personality. I’m not Nick anymore, I’m just the guy in the mask,” said the mass communications major. “It’s just anger and aggression and (being) pumped. I get completely tired within three songs but I still push through. Just the will to keep going and performing and making sure the show is as amazing as it should be for the fans.”

There’s no going back once the band hits the floor. There are only faces, blank stares, a petrified army waiting to be awoken. The lights turn on, the introductions are made, the rope is released and the show begins. Guajardo grabs the microphone and begins to sing.

The energy is uncontainable. The volume is ear splitting, as if you can feel the rapid sound waves moving through every inch of your body. The show leaves the audience drained by the end of the last beat. The hours spent writing and creating music, formulating lyrics during sleepless nights, feelings such as heartache and pain being spilled onto a white canvas. The emotions being expressed through finger-bleeding guitar scales have all led to this one moment where your creation is brought to life. The monster finally awakens, its power immeasurable. The music created is a living creature, its voice doesn’t leave you once the song ends, it permeates your very bones.

“Not to be mean, but personally, I think we are more creative,” finished Guajardo.

With creativity comes heart, a strong sense of devotion to a piece of work that has the fingerprints of every emotion you have ever felt and dwelled on. Take a break from the radio and look around campus and embrace the sounds of your fellow students. Take a listen to their art; get an understanding of their emotions and dreams because the result could be powerful.

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Q&A WITH PERSONAL USE PERSONAL USE ROLLCALL: Jael Chapa – Guitar Kido Rendon – Drums Mic Melt – MC

Jaime Adame – Trumpet Toast – Trombone Rocky – Keyboards Chris Bennett– Trumpet Tank – Singer Sammy Watts – Bass Guitar

McAllen, TX – The Rio Grande Valley is always improving and changing, and with that I present you a band named Personal Use. If you haven’t had a chance to catch this ring of mafiosos, you are missing out on the pivotal (bridge) isthmus of orchestra that is Valley born. At the show they delivered an energetic cumulative dose of ‘live-reggaecumbia-hip-hop-RnB-dub-mash up’ that created a break-dance salsa jiving crowd unlike any. From the slick fingers of Sammy Watts on electric bass to the fresh flow of Mic Melt, the band auspiciously delivered the horn blasting intensity of third wave ska to develop a musical scene where the Gorillaz meet the Kumbia Kings.

All right guys, tell me how you all got together.

Chris: Most of us have been playing together for 15 years and some of us a little less, 10 years, some of us five. I don’t know, I can’t even remember yesterday. (He and the guys laugh.)

Kido: About 6 years ago.

What do you guys think about the development of the area?

All: (They each chimed in.) There’s a lot more bands out there. Different kind of bands out there, then there was back in the day.

Rocky: Back in the day there wasn’t a lot of places to get exposure. We found that out doing Bread 8. That was our band 12 or 14 years ago, whatever. The hard thing to do was find a place to play. No one wanted a punk or ska band to play. That is where we first busted out horns. Trenton Point was where we played a lot at. (Engine revs in the background.) After that, it just grew. People started to like it and they got to know the people in the band. They knew that when music changed or just because the name changed the music is the same or going down the same path. It’s just grown and grown and grown. A lot of people know who we are now. I don’t know how good that is, or how bad that is.

But, we dig it. We have a good time. We enjoy our friendship and the music. There are a lot of great musicians on this band and I don’t think you could change any one of them and that it would sound the same.

What about rap or hip-hop? How do you feel about the new artists?

Mic Melt: They’re all bullshit little kids who grow up with the internet and forgot how to play outside type shit. To be honest, I think that a lot of hip-hop has gone downhill. But, to be honest, it happens in cycles, you know. It was born in the 80s then it kind of faded out towards the late 80s and then the 90s came in with where they are trying to find themselves. There’s house dancing intertwined with it. You have groups like Kid n’ Play and Arrested Development.

Later you have all the bling era and all these kids that began rapping because it was cool. I try to stay with the real hiphop even though it may be too far in between, but I think it’s coming back. There’s a lot good underground hip-hop out there that just needs to get found.

How do you guys maintain work and family?

Mic Melt: Family comes first no matter what, but music is in all of our hearts. We are lucky enough to have enough cool wives that allow us to follow our dreams and let us do what we love. That’s were the hearts at. That’s why we do what we do. It’s inside of us. If you really love it, you’re going to find the time, no matter what. You take care of business and play the music.

Do you guys have any tips for aspiring artists in the Valley?

Toast: Fucking gun it man.

Mic Melt: No matter what anyone else thinks, be original keep doing what you do and just keep on doing it no matter what anyone else tells you. Just keep on and keep at it, because the more you do it the better you’ll get. You know, eventually someone is going to appreciate the time you put into it.

Chris: I agree to disagree. (The group laughs.)

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIHU GARCIA

GalaxZ Fair 2014 was the third round of UTPA alumn Patrick Garcia’s brainchild.

Bringing indie rock to the RGV, March 10 and 13 at the historic Cine El Rey, GalaxZ Fair is growing to match the Valley’s thirst for new music.

JUNGLE BODIES

Andres Sanchez performed with local band Jungle Bodies.

GalaxZ Fair 2014 was announced to be their final show.

POWER TRIP Lead Vocalist Riley Gale of thrash metal band Power Trip from Dallas performs at Bruja Luna.

GALAX

Z

FAIR III

TOPS Jane Perry from Indie rock band Tops from Montreal, Quebec plays the keys while singing to the crowd.

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PERFECT PUSSY Meredith Graves, lead singer of New York based punk band Perfect Pussy, performs at Bruja Luna in McAllen, headlining for Galax Z Fair.

MINIATURE TIGERS

Miniature Tigers lead singer Charlie Brand performing at Cine El Rey.

SPEEDY ORTIZ

Sadie Dupis, lead singer of Speedy Ortiz, an indie band from Massachusetts.

TWIN SHADOW

Dominican Republic native George Lewis Jr., known as Twin Shadow, returns to the Rio Grande Valley once and performs fan favorites such as ‘Five Seconds.’

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102 102 FASHION

fashion FASHION

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SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS

6 WAYS TO WEAR AN OXFORD SHIRT URBAN COOL

THE SARTORIALIST

WINTER LAYERS

Denim cut off shorts are the epitome of city chic, all the while still casual for Summer concerts, barbecues, or school days. For the occasional chill wave of wind, layer the oxford and shorts combo with a navy cardigan. High-cut hiking boots in blue suede and an olive green canvas bag complement the casual ensemble. Of course, aviator sunglasses top it off. Off you go to join the stylish in shorts and shades.

Be the ultimate gentlemen in pairing the oxford shirt tucked into skinny leg trousers of an eggplant hue. (or opt for black, for availability purposes). Add some class and color with a silk tie of red and burgundy paisley stripes. Cuff the slacks for the high water look and go sockless with leather brogues. Finish the look with a pullover trench.

Designer Christopher Bailey of Burberry Prorsum took inspiration from the street, the English cool. This warm look is inspired by that: Layer and opt for black skinny jeans paired with brogues or combat boots.

Use a thick knitted cardigan of Aztec prints and finish the look with an oversized navy pea coat.

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NIGHT OUT For parties, dates, and formal occasions never go wrong with a three-quarter sleeve blazer. Pair the oxford shirt with black skinny jeans, cuffed to reveal the ankle.

For accessories, opt for leather brogues and a pop of color with an orange bowtie amidst the hues of white, black, brown, and silver greys. Be dashing, but ever youthfully refined.

SPRINGTIME TRENCHES The classic white shirt paired with pastel striped tailored shorts and tie is nonchalantly debonair. Take this combination and layer it with a khaki trench rolling the sleeves. For accessories, opt for an envelope clutch in patina leather and brogues for shoes.

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SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS

6 WAYS TO WEAR A SKATER SKIRT CORPORATE QUEEN Layer existing pieces like the oxford shirt or the cuffed chiffon shirt with a tailored blazer. Accessories never fail; go for a structured bag, a leopard scarf, and some shades. Finish the look with transparent tights and high heels.

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FRESH FRINGE Be victoriously vital in fringes. The fringed mullet cardigan is an excellent piece for parties and music festivals. For additional wow factor, choose a pair skyscraper lace-ups heels.

You’ll be channeling the cool allure of “It” girls such as Alexa Chung and Kate Moss.

FABULOUS FUR For a polished look for work or semi-formal events, go pretty with a belle sleeved chiffon blouse. In colder weather, layer the look with a rabbit fur bomber for the ultimate warmth in luxury.

You can pair your heels with ankle socks and pink lips to be the ultimate femme fatale.

EASTERN GLOW A huge concept solidifying into the fashion scene this year is “The Global Initiative�, pieces that encompass styles worn in all corners of the world. A silk kimono with lavish prints layered over a simple t-shirt underneath and a collared necklace would pay homage to that trend quite well. Over the knee socks with heels and crimson lips will add the perfect finishing touches.

VARSITY READY What better to say college spirit than to wear a varsity jacket?

Its masculine volume creates sharp contrast to the femininity of the skater skirt. The look can be finished with high cut platform boots and socks.

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PACHANGAS OF THE UNDERGROUND 108 FASHION

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS FASHION

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SHOOTING THE PACHANGA

BY DANIELA COVIAN

Collages of runway photos on the walls, a closet organized by season, countless pairs of shoes on racks, a mannequin in the corner of the room dressed in a luxurious fur coat, and a makeshift shrine adorned with votive candles and statues of Catholic saints. That’s exactly what I saw when I stepped inside the room of UTPA student Daniel Ymbong. He lives and breathes fashion. Ymbong was previously a colleague at the School of Fashion and Arts in the Philippines and produced six fashion shows.

He took the opportunity to fly out to New York and visited The Fashion Institute of Technology and attended the 2010 Runway Debut at Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing in Los Angeles. By the time he graduated high school he had devoted a grand portion of his time to designing, sketching and sewing.

THE EARLY STAGES Fashion wasn’t a prominent part of Daniel’s life until he was about 14-years-old years old.

It wasn’t until he saw a wedding dress designer on TV talking about her work that the world of fashion caught his eye.

“She spoke of sketches, fabrics and clientele.

I thought it was fun and easy so I tried to draw wedding dresses and that sort of led to the discovery of fashion,” Ymbong said.

Coming from a Filipino family, a career in nursing or some other medical profession is more practical than working in the fashion industry, especially coming from a long line of family members who pursued such professions.

His parents disapproved of his desire for fashion and initially saw the whole industry as a joke.

His father was convinced he was only interested in the industry for the lavish lifestyle that comes with it.

“I denied my dream, reluctantly pursuing the aspirations of my parents,” said Ymbong.

After years of diligently studying volumes of the history of fashion books that he invested in, every aspect of high-end fashion runway shows, and refining his sketching techniques, he decided he needed to solidify his dream. “I broke through the stereotypes, risked my security and stepped into the unknown because of passion.”

SELF-PORTRAIT ON THE BORDERLINE BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES There lies the painter, the glorious Frida Kahlo. Caught between two lands: Mexico and the United States. Therein lies a clear distinction between the organic and the artificial. There are fur coats and handbags amidst the bed of creation. The furs are of nature, like the fruits, the sun, the moon, the stars and the fresh air. The furs are the skin of the animals she drew alongside her in self portraits- the monkey (promiscuity), the humming bird (Huitzilopochtli; the God of War), and the cat (guardian of the underworld). There are statues of the great pyramids and religious icons like the Virgin and St. Michael. The handbags are embodiments of a designer’s commercial success in reference to American consumerism.

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Three Panorama photographers were on hand to capture every angle of Ymbong’s vision. Elihu Garcia focuses on close ups while director Ymbong looks on. La Piedad Cemetery offered the perfect backdrop.

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

ON HOLD

After high school, Ymbong’s dream really started taking shape when he left his home in McAllen, Texas to begin his first year of college at SoFA, School of Fashion and the Arts in Manila, Philippines.

“I would never have envisioned myself attending a fashion college or a fashion institute,” Ymbong said.

He learned the elements of design, how to compose illustrations, and most importantly, how to think like a fashion designer.

Ymbong feels that originality is a fundamental component in creating a successful design. “There are no bad ideas but only the best are chosen,” Ymbong said. “Disruption is a vessel for true creativity and it’s something that really tests boundaries.”

Ymbong admires fashion designers who broke the social norm. He mentioned Coco Chanel and the importance she placed on liberating the 1920’s woman, as well as Yves Saint Laurent, for his respective influence in empowering women through fashion.

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only,” Ymbong said. “Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live and what is happening.”

Ymbong’s fashion spread for the 2014 Panorama, Valley of The Dolls, Panchangas of The Underground, was inspired by the Mexican culture and cultural events, such as Dia De Los Muertos. Famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is also heavily referenced. Ymbong’s personal fascination with religion and religious iconography is also apparent. Ymbong feels that the Valley isn’t given enough credit and wanted to highlight the rich culture present throughout the Rio Grande Valley in his piece. “Everyone is always like, ugh the Valley its so boring, there’s nothing ever to do here. I see it as we either embrace it and make something out of it or keep dwelling on the negatives and fail to highlight all that is has to offer.”

Traveling far distances to attend fashion school was a leap in the direction of his dreams, but Ymbong had to put his life on hold after being majorly affected by eczema and violent withdrawal from the topical steroids used to treat the condition.

“My skin disease made it impossible to carry on with fashion school,” Ymbong said. “I loved fashion school but had to abandon it temporarily for my health. I fell into a deep depression as my withdrawal got worse and was out of school for nearly four months,” Ymbong said.

At night, his skin became irritated and inflamed in the spots that he would scratch at for hours, trying to find relief from the itching. He stayed up late on many nights, thinking about how he could get a grip on his life and overcome the pain he was enduring. He felt his condition was robbing him of his life.

All the energy he once put into designing and sketching was transferred into treating his disease and dealing with all the hardship it brought to his life. “I would have to vacuum and sweep all the skin flakes as my room and clothes stank from all the ooze.”

It was decided that the best option for Ymbong was to return home to The Valley to be with his family and get treatment. Coming back to University of Texas-Pan American was a confusing time for Ymbong. Not only did he have to select a new major, he also still had to deal with the intense itch and sweat flashes that his disease entailed.

Ymbong still has the same goals in mind at this time. He is currently majoring in graphic design and continues to sketch and devour fashion books whenever he has free time. All things artistic and fashion-related keep him motivated and focused on the big picture. He sees his skin disease as just a bump in the road to his dreams. His skin disorder is improving, but it can only be cured with time. In the mean time, Ymbong continues to dress as if he is going to run into Marc Jacobs at any given moment and maintains an optimistic outlook for his future.

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“SENSATIONAL SAVOY” Oxford shirt- Guess by Marciano Printed pantyhose- Ebay OMG gold necklace- Rue 21 Cocktail rings- stylists own

“THE FLAMENCO“ Sheer striped balloon-sleeved blouse- vintage Cross necklace- stylist’s own Platform clog pumps- Forever21

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“LENTEN VIOLETS” Blazer, mini skirt, and silk blouseDaniel Ymbong original design Braided leather belt- Vintage Pebble necklace- YRYS Manila

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BY DANIEL YMBONG PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN CASTILLO , ALFONSO QUEVEDO DIRECTED BY DANIEL YMBONG

You live in a dichotomy between two lands. One land celebrates the dead and the true grandeur of its beauty.

Surrounded by marigolds and images of the Virgin de Guadalupe, and set to the tune of pastoral corridos, it is a celebration. The other land is American and speaks English of hamburgers and Converse. Our middle ground Nation speaks Spanglish, a la troka. It is deviant and creative. It is “sin verguenza,” shameless. Creativity should carry no shame and deviance is fantastic. This is what local writers like Gloria Anzaldúa who composed “Borderlands, La Frontera” strived to communicate, and have been celebrated for. Artists like Frida Kahlo lived as monuments to the vigorous spirit of Mexico while existing on American soil. Embrace the beauty of the Valley and all that it provides to your senses images of Maria Dolorosa, the sights and sounds of Día de los Muertos, the scent of slow burning votive candles, that morning taco, this land.

“GRACIOUS GREYS”

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Grey sequined mini dress with calf sleeves- Daniel Ymbong original design Cocktail rings- Dillard’s Rhine stone bracelet- Macy’s

VIVA LA VIDA POR FRIDA! A painter so exotic her presence could not be ignored. It was pain, caused by the bus accident in which a rail pierced through her vagina that would spark creation. Spinal column broken in three places, collarbone and the third and fourth rib broken, 11 fractures on her right leg, dislocated right foot, left shoulder out of its socket, and her pelvis broken in three places -she had no choice but to be bedridden for months. It was during this time of healing that Kahlo created the masterpieces that would be her legacy. “THE VICTORIAN�

Midi lace dress with peter pan collar and calf sleeves- vintage Velvet flat-forms with straps- Storenvy.com

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Ymbong was present and hands-on for the cemetery shoot. Above, he instructs model Catarina Gutierrez how to pose. Below, he adjusts her veil. Modeling Kahlo looks on previous page: Franchesca Verdeflor.

“MORTICIA A MUERTA” Plum raglan- Anne Taylor Loft Semi transparent maxi skirt- Papaya Studded cross necklace- A’gaci

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“MARIA DOLOROSA” Sequined mini dress with tulip slit, ¾ semi-balloon sleeves, sweat heart neckline: Daniel Ymbong original design Beaded onyx choker- vintage Black mittens with pleated chiffon seam finish- Simply Vera by Vera Wang Black mini bangles- H&M Silver bracelet with rhinestones- Macy’s Platform mule boot- Charlotte Russe

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FASHION

TRENDS

2014

BY DANIEL YMBONG

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANIEL YMBONG, KAREN VILLARREAL, AND ESTEFANIA OLVERA

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OXFORD COMA

DESIGNER:

Balmain

The crisp shirt reserved for business has become all the rage. Joan Smalls opened Altzurra in unbuttoned oxford paired with dress jumper, as Victoria Beckham took a spin on oxford colorblocked frocks. The king of cool; Alexander Wang, suggested a pajama set with the oxford.

DESIGNER:

Prabal Gurung

CORPORATE CASUAL? Not anymore.

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OLD SPORT ATHLETICISM HAS LONG BEEN IN THE MAINSTREAM OF FASHION,

BUT NEVER BEFORE HAS IT BEEN SO GLAMOROUS. Designers swapped nylon and polyester for lux fabrics like silk, technical mesh, and leather. Your gym staples including basketball shorts, track pants, and sweatshirts were top notch paired with heels.

Gucci, Emilio Pucci, and Tom Ford were in for the action.

DESIGNER:

Prada

DESIGNER:

Stella McCartney

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METALLIC MADNESS FOR THIS SPRING,

SPARKLE AND SHINE WELL BEFORE THE SUNDOWN. The runways were glittering with shine from the plethora of silk, chain mail, and glint brocade. Your eveningwear is now the norm for daywear.

Alber Albaz sent for a liquid jumpsuit, as did Balmain’s metalloid bombers.

Proenza Schouler sent a parade of foiled dresses.

DESIGNER:

Haider Ackermann

DESIGNER:

Lanvin

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THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD. For this season, the designers acknowledged the four corners of the world. Raf Simmons for Dior drew inspiration from tribal roots, as the Olsen twins showcased the beauty of the sari for The Row. Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy called for ethnic elegance, whilst Valentino venerated the pagan goddess.

DESIGNER: Akris DESIGNER:

Alberta Ferretti

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ARTFULLY WONDERFUL THE COLLECTIONS BELLOWED OF ART FROM BRUSH STROKES TO PAINTERLY PRINTS.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel paid homage to Jeff Coons for the runway stage complementing the rainbow dresses of the show. Muicca Prada imprinted the murals of street art to bags, dresses, and the stage. Phoebe Philo for CĂŠline took a turn for the abstract, as Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton sent body suits with graffiti art from Stephan Sprouse.

DESIGNER:

Prada

DESIGNER:

Isa Arfen

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INTO THE FLOWERS

DESIGNER:

Etro DESIGNER:

Dolce & Gabbana

FLOWERS HAVE MADE IT ONCE AGAIN

ON THE RUNWAY Flowers have inspired the likes of Christian Dior in the creation of “The New Look,” as it did for contemporary designer Dries Van Noten. Designers like Dolce and Gabbana sent dresses with both floral print and floral decoration as Giambattista Valli. Etro also presented a collection of high-waisted pants and cocktail dresses adorned with blossom prints.

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RADIANT ORCHID

DESIGNER:

DESIGNER:

Prabal Gurung

Giambattista Valli

PANTONE PERFECT

RADIANT ORCHID Radiant orchid is the color of the year. Manifestation on the runway from garments, accessories, to cosmetics. From the bags at Max Mara to the tapered midi dresses at Prabal Gurung, radiant orchid is everywhere. Of course there are more colors to complementand choose from. Designers chose from the color spectrum to include the likes of: cayenne, celosia orange, freesia, grey, pallid, and a plethora of pastels (featured on the following pages).

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DESIGNER:

Michael Kors

DESIGNER:

Blumarine

DESIGNER:

Dior

DESIGNER:

Apu Jan

PASTEL PERFECT

CANDID CAYENNE

CELOSIA’S CLOCKWORK ORANGE

SAND SALACIOUS 126 FASHION

DESIGNER:

Alexander Wang

DESIGNER:

Preen

DESIGNER:

Fendi

DESIGNER:

Versace

GREY PALOMA

FRESHLY FREESIA

DAZZLING BLUE

PACEY PALLID

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126 128 EDITORIAL

editorial EDITORIAL

129

BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT YOUR FRIENDS?

BY STEPHANIE MELCHOR I was 3 years old when I met my very first best friend. Victoria had soft, rosy cheeks with thick bangs and she sat next to me in Mrs. Pena’s headstart classroom at Russell Elementary. Our friendship was so simple but so real. We became inseparable for the next eight years. Her phone number was the very first phone number I memorized (besides my parents’ number, of course) and I remember feeling a sense of pride in that. I don’t even remember what two 7-year-olds could possibly talk about for hours on the phone but we did. We would choreograph dances to ‘N Sync, watch the “Selena” movie weekly and play with all her pets until we were panting from playing outside too long. I clearly remember her dog, Georgie, and cat, Misty. We remained best friends until the age of 11.

It didn’t matter what they did because if I didn’t have them,

who would I go to lunch with?

130 EDITORIAL

Entering middle school is when everything began to change. I went on to join the cheerleading squad and a few other sports. Our hang-outs became less frequent, our phone calls were scarce and soon we each had a new crowd of friends. My new best friends for the next three years were a group of three girls who were not the nicest. Of course I was not a complete saint, but I remember always getting that ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach when I’d hear them picking on other girls or trash talking on Xanga, the pre-Tumblr, pre-Facebook social media site popular with us at the time. I remember feeling wrong, very wrong. However, I kept these girls in my life for so long because in my pre-teen mind we were so cool. We were the queen bees and that’s all that really mattered. There was too many times where I would get my feelings hurt by these girls.

Whether one of them started dating the boy I was too shy to talk to or maybe talking about me behind my back; it was obvious I should have walked away. But how could I walk away from my clique? Fast forward three years and we’re all getting ready to enter high school. I was the only one of us going to a different high school and in less than a few weeks I wasn’t a part of the clique anymore. I’ve never exchanged more than a few “how are you’s” with them since.

You would think I learned my lesson about picking my friends, but give me a break, I was still naively young. So the cycle continued throughout high school and my first couple of years of college. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also made a couple of truly amazing friends throughout the years, but the main clique I continued to spend most of my time with was all the same type of people. In no way am I saying these people are bad because they aren’t. Some of my most fun memories are with them but I never felt an emotional connection to these people I called my friends. It was a friendship that developed and thrived off superficial elements. We were a group of supposedly pretty girls who liked to have fun. It seemed the only way I was able to bond with them was over a few drinks and gossip. If I had something legitimately interesting I wanted to share (a real issue in the world), I would get silence or a nod and facial expression that screamed, “can you please stop talking?” When I had a problem in my own personal life, I knew I couldn’t go to them to vent. I knew the advice I would receive would be unheeding and generic, something I could probably find off a teenager’s Facebook status. They never cared to understand to me but I cared so much to understand them, even if it was

Some might call it bitchy

that I’m particularly selective when it comes to friends, but I think everyone should be. something as silly as “Why isn’t Tom (or whichever boy she was crushing on at the time) texting me back?” If it didn’t concern them, they didn’t care.

I was 20 when the whole rebellious underage drinking thing started getting old and I began to find myself rolling my eyes more and more at their idea of an interesting conversation (I don’t care who is sleeping with who). But I continued to go out with them every time they’d invite and listened in on all the gossip because I thought maybe this time I could get a word in about my life and maybe they’d listen. I was the girl going over and beyond for my friends yet never finding a shoulder to cry on when I really needed one.

I stuck around after constantly being let down and forgave too easily. It didn’t matter what they did because if I didn’t have them, who would I go to lunch with? Who would I go to shopping with? What about the gym? On the outside it always looked like I had the most awesome friendships and the coolest lifestyle but popular is indeed lonely. This continued until about the age of 21. I turned 22 in January so a little over a year ago is when I had the epiphany of all epiphanies. I realized I needed more out of my friendships and it wasn’t okay that I was a damn good friend but couldn’t rely on any of them. I had to break up with my friends. I was scared. They were all I had for the past six years. I began to create some distance from people who I was once spending every day with and I slowly but surely learned that it wasn’t difficult to be alone because I had already been alone for quite some time.

If I’m being really honest then I’ll tell you all that this past year has been the greatest one yet. I spent so much time investing in people who never seemed to appreciate me that I didn’t realize how much it also held me back. I’m highly involved in school organizations, I have a great internship, my grades are fridge worthy and I’m the happiest I’ve been with myself in a very long time. My newly established independence allowed me to get outside my comfort zone.

Little things that most people do with a friend like going out to eat, shopping, working out, I do alone and I don’t mind one bit. I’m not an antisocial person or anything; I meet new people every day. Sometimes our encounters are nothing more than an exchange of compliments and sometimes I make a friend. Some might call it bitchy that I’m particularly selective when it comes to friends but I think everyone should be. These are the people you spend a big part of your life with; why not choose the very best?

As you get older you’ll realize how important quality is in friendships versus quantity. Here’s where I might get a little sappy, so excuse me. You know everyone has their “clique” of friends and then there are those friends you make on the side who aren’t part of your group. You show up to parties with your clique, go to the beach with your clique but go grab a simple lunch with your “outside” friend every now and then. Let me tell you, those “outside” friends are usually the ones that will always answer the phone in the middle of the night when you need that shoulder to cry on. With that being said, I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve made that will last a lifetime. I’m also grateful for all the new wonderful people I continue to meet, including my wonderful Panorama staff.

You know, when you’re stuck in a tiny office with the same six people for multiple hours a day for over seven months, you get pretty close. I’m glad we’ve gotten to know each other though. We make one crazy group and I only hope our friendship continues as years go by.

Anyway, the point of this is to remind all you readers that you shouldn’t settle when it comes to friends. Surround yourself with people who support you, who are sincere, who are there for you and who want to understand you. Ok so not everyone will understand you but the ones who make an effort are ones you should keep around. To this very day, I look back and see Victoria as one of those people who I wish I had never drifted away from. I hope to meet more people as sincere as she was. Maria is one of the couple of lifelong friends I met in high school. One of the ones who I just grab a lunch with every now and then, but would never doubt how strong our friendship is. No matter where we are in life, she will always have a secure spot as a bridesmaid in my wedding. I’m looking forward to meeting many more great people in my life and to all the people who have been a positive contribution to my life, know that I truly love you.

Remember, when you’re surrounded by self-destructive people, you become self-destructive. Let go of the people who never encourage you to grow or who will never grow themselves. It feels so liberating to finally realize I don’t need to be part of any sort of posse; I can be on my own and be great.

EDITORIAL

131

relationship status:

don’t worry about it

BY AUDRY OCAÑAS

never

have i

ever 132 EDITORIAL

For those of you who don’t know, “Never have I ever…” is a game mostly played at parties. The rules, as I’ve been taught, go as follows: Everyone gathers in a circle, drink in one hand, and three fingers up on the other. And then…the questions begin. Whoever has done whatever is being said must put their finger down and take a swig of whatever they’re drinking. Whoever has all fingers down first loses. Now, you can ask interesting questions like “Never have I ever flirted my way out of a ticket” or “Never have I ever gone streaking.” Or you can ask steamy questions, and most people do, like “Never have I had sex in a pool” or “Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.”

Well, one question I’ve noticed has never been asked is “Never have I ever had a boyfriend.” And ladies and gentlemen, I am very glad no one has asked this because then my finger would most definitely have stayed up.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What? What, mysterious writer lady? Are you saying you’ve never had a boyfriend?” Yes, yes I am saying that. “But you sound so amazing! I’ve only read a paragraph but I can already tell you are a witty, charming woman.” Oh, stop. I’m blushing. But yes, it is true. I’ve never been in a relationship. For those of you who are curious about my age (I know I would be), I’m 23. But before you start thinking of any misconceptions about me, and I know some of you are, stop. I mean it. Stop it right now. Continue to read this editorial with an open mind. If you don’t come out of it a little enlightened then I’m sorry. I’d give you a refund except this magazine is free so are you really losing? Anyway, back to my epic reveal.

You know those silly little elementary school and junior high relationships? Where holding hands and hanging out by yourselves was a big deal? Yeah, I didn’t even have that. There was one time in 4th grade where my crush found out I liked him and confronted me. I can tell you right now, I almost died. I told him I didn’t like him, it was the other Adriana. (She spelled her name with two ns… whatever.) Well shortly after that, the two of them were walking off into the sunset holding hands. I kicked myself in the butt for that the rest of the year. Now, why did I tell him that, you may ask? I don’t know, I was nine. I was scared a boy I liked was actually talking to me and I panicked. My love life has pretty much been a repeat of failures after that point. I like a guy who doesn’t like me, a guy likes me and I don’t like him, or just plain ol’ missed opportunities. Whatever the rhyme or reason, I’ve never been able to call someone mine.

Now why is this such an issue? Why have I decided to bore you with this private part of my life? Because society and our culture has told us (or at least me) this isn’t okay. When I told a friend I’ve never had a boyfriend, her first reaction was “Awww, Audry! You need love!” Well that was puzzling. Yeah I’ve never felt romantic love (in return) but I know I’m loved in other ways. But it’s not just her. I’ve been told by close friends that I’m bitter and I know I can be at times but that’s not who I am. I love the idea of a moonlit walk through the park or a night in watching Netflix and just being together. But I swear if I’m told I HAVE to see The Notebook one more time…I don’t like romantic movies. Hate ‘em. Give me a romantic comedy and I’ll be okay. But The Notebook, The Time Traveler’s Wife and any other heart-wrenching, romantic movie someone tries to shove down my throat can kiss my ass. I also like to think of things a little more realistically. Like I don’t expect to be in love with someone after just a

When I told a friend I’ve never had a boyfriend,

her first reaction was “Awww, Audry! You need love!” that was puzzling. couple of months. I am aware I’m a hopeless romantic but I try to keep a level head. And don’t get me started on “love at first sight.” To me, that’s just lust. How can you love someone you don’t know a thing about?

Are you still with me? If you are, awesome. Now back to the topic at hand. Remember how I was talking about marriage? Well, one of my best friends is 20 and already married. You know how much I felt like a spinster when she got married? ‘Oh God, she’s 20 and settling down with the love of her life. What the hell am I doing?’ But I’ve realized everyone goes at their own pace. Yeah, I have old friends from high school who are on their second kid but that’s not me. I’m actually not sure if I even want kids. So being single at the ripe old age of 23 is okay.

Being single at 30 is okay. At 40, at 50, and so on. There is nothing wrong with you. No one can tell you when you should settle down and be “happy.” As one of my favorite songs goes, “I can be alone, yeah, I can watch the sunset on my own.” It’s called Merry Happy by Kate Nash. Look it up. It’ll put a smile on your face.

Now just because I’ve never been in a relationship doesn’t mean I’ve never loved. There was one boy…well I don’t think you can even call him a boy since he was 27 when I met him. But he definitely had the maturity level of a boy. I realize now I was in a “pseudo-relationship,” as my best friend dubbed it. It had all the makings of a relationship without the commitment and label. I can hear several guys saying now, “Well that sounds pretty fucking awesome!” I can tell you right now, it’s not. It was okay at first; I had my freedom and independence and I always had someone to call if I was feeling lonely. But when nothing changes for about two years…that little dance can get tiresome. I knew I was putting more into the “relationship” than he was. I was always available to him.

Once, the idiot broke his finger so I get a text at one in the morning saying, “I think I broke my finger.” I was with my friends at the time but I dropped them like a bad habit and rushed to his aide. Poor thing didn’t have insurance so of course I had to take care of him. Yup, that was me.

For two years. “You need me? Be there in five.” But funny enough, whenever I needed him, he was nowhere to be found.

I’d love to sit here and tell you I finally came to my senses and left the man who continued to break my heart every day for two years but that’s not what happened. He left me. Yup. Just up and started ignoring me and was in a real relationship with another girl just a couple of months later. Facebook official and everything. I cannot tell you how much that hurt. I could feel my heart breaking, like really FEEL it. It

was very weird. I was inconsolable for a while. But as time went on, I became more and more okay with the fact that it wasn’t me he was smiling and laughing with. Because the truth is, he was an asshole to me and I deserved better. (Let’s not discuss why I stayed so long in the first place. We all do stupid things.)

So I’m 23 and I’ve never been in a real relationship. And that’s okay.

I want you to know, mysterious reader, that if you’re single and feel you’re going to be single forever, stop. Stop being so concerned with nonsense like that. What about school? Getting a career? Do you want to travel? How about write a book? There are so many other amazing things that take precedence over getting a boyfriend (or girlfriend).

Getting a boyfriend used to be at the top of my to-do list, now I don’t think it’s even on the list. If it is, it’s towards the bottom, I can tell you that. Take a break from everything we’ve been told. We don’t have to settle down and get married right away. We don’t need to have kids, maybe ever (your mom will be okay with it, eventually). If I can reach just one person with this article, if I can make someone’s day a little better and a littler happier, I know I would have done my job. It took me 23 years to figure out it’s okay to be alone because that doesn’t mean I’m lonely. Hopefully it only takes you the length of this article. You need to enjoy your own company because if you can’t, how can you expect someone else to?

Sorry if I’m being a little preachy. I’ve just enjoyed our company so much; I want you to make good choices. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little snippet of my life (or at least tolerated it). Until we meet again, mysterious reader.

EDITORIAL

133

The “Unpopular Opinion Puffin” is one of several animal memes of the last few years. Originating in 2013, the original poster on Reddit proposed it as “an alternative to Confession Bear, which had been frequently used on the subreddit as a way to express an unpopular opinion disguised as a confession.”

Source: knowyourmeme.com

AN UNPOPULAR OPINION

BY KAREN VILLARREAL I was hesitant to write an editorial because I didn’t really want to put my own opinion on some hotbutton issue in a magazine made by a group of talented individuals who all have opinions of their own. I can’t try to represent all of the Panorama team, but even if I could, taking a side in a one-sided public forum goes against my personal philosophical bill of rights. It’s no fair to debate something when nobody will have a chance to reply, and if they did, honestly I wouldn’t want to indulge. Debates very rarely end in someone changing their mind, because most people don’t debate, they just fight. Usually both parties will leave their original idea still intact, aware now

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that there is a possibility that they’re wrong but, because they’re entitled to their opinions, won’t change their mind.

Knowing that presenting an opinion is only encouraging someone else’s opinion to come at you to deal with is a large part of why I didn’t want to do it. I don’t want to say people aren’t entitled to their opinions though, because that doesn’t make sense either, after all what are opinions but bits of thoughts put together over time, sometimes slowly reinforced due to repeated confirmations of the first thought... but c’mon now. Sometimes it happens so fast we aren’t even aware a judgment has been made at all.

And opinions can change.

I’m glad that at least I have enough self-control to only think my judgmental thoughts

and not voice them

to other people or the internet or anywhere.

Despite all that, no matter where they arise from or how quickly, more than a “soul” or set of chromosomes, opinions are what make you who you are, what forms your personality. I was hesitant to share myself through this editorial with everyone who is going to read the magazine, in part because I know that I am in a state of change and committing to any side of a debate, choosing that aspect of my personality, seems hasty. My opinion now might not reflect what I’m going to think even next week, because my system is to go with whatever opinion I’ve made until new information is presented, and then decide again.

The other part of my hesitation was, I didn’t want to offend anyone for no reason. I don’t usually go spouting my opinions all over the place and appreciate it when other people don’t either. Maybe this belief was inspired at a young age by that Disney movie, which I forgot all of except that one line, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Perhaps I’m not that nice a person.

Sometimes I find myself making terrible judgmental thoughts up in my head, making me shocked at myself for thinking them up. I mean they are about dumb things, like, ‘that person’s hair is weird,’ which is superficial and exactly the kind opinion I hate hearing, the kind of statement that makes me instantly dislike the person who said it and want to defend the hair, no matter how weird. My own hair’s weird. Why would I think something mean about another weirdo’s hair?

After silently shaming myself, I justify the cruel opinion: it wasn’t actually anything mean, it was just an observation. That person might describe his own hair as weird, just like I did. Still, one can’t assume, and I’m glad that at least I have enough self-control to only think my judgmental thoughts and not voice them to other people or the internet or anywhere, because what would anyone ever anywhere gain from hearing me opine on someone’s appearance or personality or anything, really? Perhaps only the person judged, and it would only be the idea to change whatever it was about them I was a jerk about- and the chances are they have had that idea before, and rejected it. Besides, who am I to try to change anyone- when I can hardly control what I think; and definitely can’t change that part of myself?

I’m certainly no expert. So I don’t say anything.

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But I’ve learned something from my years of not saying much, and it is this: people just really like it when people shut up so they can tell their thing.

‘Cos it’s such a super interesting thing. Sometimes it’s really not, but you listen anyway because people are full of surprises and sometimes it turns out to be better than you expected. As recently as four years ago, embarrassingly, I didn’t think other people besides myself could have opinions that were also valid. But then I grew up a bit; I just started paying attention, and all of this sudden “wisdom” fell into my lap. I learned that opportunities are out there for those who look, and opinions will spill out even if you don’t want them to. You can’t help but share yourself with people, especially through written words, and similarly can’t help but understand people when you read their words in your head. Even in trying to explain my hesitation to share an opinion, I’ve done it, now you know something about me- I guess it’s time to form an opinion.

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