SPRING 2010 - The University of Texas-Pan American

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RESEARCHStudent Successcreativity celebratedA Poet EmergesLauren Espinoza, a senior English major, was chosen as one of25 young poets in the nation to be featured in an anthology titled,“Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25,” edited by awardwinningpoet and writer Naomi Shihab Nye.“I was so excited to find out that my poetry had been selected,”Espinoza said. “I immediately called Emmy Perez, my poetryprofessor, and thanked her so much for all her help. Findingout my poetry was going to be published really humbled me andmade me feel like what I was doing was worth it.”The 24-year-old McAllen native said she felt very fortunate tohave the opportunity to take graduate courses as an undergraduatestudent, which she feels helped her in her writing.The anthology was published in February by Greenwillow,an imprint of HarperCollins. The book is available for order atwww.amazon.com and www.harperteen.com.Emmy Perez, assistant professor of English said, “It isn’t veryoften that work by such young writers is selected for publicationby such a well-accomplished editor/poet at a major publishinghouse.”Nye has written two acclaimed novels for teens and was aNational Book Award finalist for her poetry collection, “19 Varietiesof Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East.”“I hope weachievedwhat weset out to do...”“Finding out my poetrywas going to be publishedreally humbled meand made me feellike what I was doingwas worth it.”A Day in the ParkThree UTPA students were recognized for their work as authors andillustrators of a children’s book that first started off as a class assignmentand now can be found in some local libraries.Beatriz Guzman Velasquez, senior art and English major from Mission,illustrated the book while Bonnie Garcia of Mission, an English graduatestudent, and Jose Canales of Pharr, a recent graduate with a degree in English,wrote the 17-page storyline titled “Little Louie’s Big Adventure.”The book tells the story of a kingfisher and the migrating bird’s excitingjourney through the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission ashe searches for his cousin who lives there.Area librarians and state park officials honored the student’s accomplishmentsat a ceremony on Dec. 3, 2009.The students said the project became more than just a class assignmentand a learning experience. It also taught them about the importance ofcommunity service. In this case, it was to help raise awareness for the statepark. Garcia said they had their audience – the children – in mind throughoutthe whole process of writing the book.“Having the opportunity to actually go out and see how we can benefitthe community was great,” Garcia said. “I hope we achieved what we setout to do, which was to get children interested in the park. If children followthe map in the back of the book and walk through the same path, theywill see everything that is portrayed in the book. The book has a connectionto some place local that few books tend to have.”A few copies of the book were printed and distributed to local librariesfor children to enjoy and learn about the park.Los Arcos 16
RESEARCHPa n o r a m a,UTPA’s student-produced magazine, continues to win awards. In late February, the 2008-2009 edition sweptthe student awards categories at the annual American Advertising Federation Rio Grande Valley competition –winning eight gold ADDY Awards, the Best of Student Entries award and a Special Judges’ Award for creativeteamwork.Editors-in-chief were graphic design majors Jennifer Terazas and Alexis Carranza. Esmer Olveras, also agraphic design major, was design editor, and Santa Hernandez, a communication major, was assistant designeditor. Panorama is co-advised by Department of Communication faculty members Dr. Kimberly Selber andDonna Pazdera.Eight of the area winning entries from the 2008-2009 Panorama have been forwarded to the Regional ADDYcompetition, with winners to be announced April 14. Since 2004, the magazine has won more than 80 local, regional,national and international awards.Reel-2-RedHeart-felt EMMYThe University of Texas-PanAmerican’s student internship program,Reel to Red Productions, hasreceived a Lone Star EMMY for itsdocumentary “The Heart of Experience,”which follows 38 UTPAstudents as they journeyed intoEastern Europe in 2008 on a studyabroad excursion.The results were announced atthe 7th Annual Lone Star EMMYAwards ceremony in Dallas onOct. 17, 2009.Initiated by Dr. Kenneth Buckman,Minnie Stephens Piper Professorand director of the Rafael A.“Felo” and Carmen Guerra HonorsProgram at UTPA, “The Heartof Experience” features the impactand transformative experience thatstudying abroad has on students.Student filmmaker Hilda Del Rioof Edinburg recalls the excitementof it all. “I was bombarded withtwo things,” Del Rio said, “workingand then taking everything in.I was enjoying the view, but then Iwas filming it, too.”Reel to Red Productions, a multiaward-winning,student-operatedproduction internship programis housed in the UTPA Office ofUniversity Relations. In additionto this recent honor, the studentinterns also received an EMMY fortheir dramatic film “Dead Letter”in 2007. Their production, “GoingNowhere,” which was nominatedfor an EMMY in 2005, garnered anational Telly Award for the groupthat same year.Altogether, the student internshipprogram has earned 13regional and national awards,and its works have been shownin film festivals as far awayas Germany.“I wasenjoyingthe view,but thenI wasfilming it,too.”GalleryThree students at The Universityof Texas-Pan Americanreceived Gold Circle Awardsfrom the Columbia ScholasticPress Association for theirpublished submissions in theGallery, a student literary artsmagazine at UTPA.The national awards fromthe School of Journalism atColumbia University attractedover 8,000 entries in the morethan 243 categories.Brandon Shuler of Pharr,who is pursuing a master’s inliterature at UTPA, placedsecond in the humor categoryfor magazines with his essay“How Jonathan Swift SavedMy Marriage.”Beatriz Guzman Velasquezof Mission, a senior majoringin art and English, receivedtwo certificates of merit forher poetry “Santa de las Embarazadas”and her portfolioof illustrations and artworkfor the magazine.Amanda de la Fuente of Edinburg,a junior majoring insociology, received a certificateof merit for her page design forthe magazine.Speaking on behalf of thethree winners, de la Fuentesaid, “These prestigious awardsnot only legitimize Gallery inthe national venue, but also theimportance of UTPA’s studentvoices and perspectives on theworld.”Work in the Gallery is chosen,designed and published byUTPA students enrolled in theENG 3334 (Gallery) class.Los Arcos 17
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCHThe University of Texas-Pan
Page 3 and 4: COMMUNITYRESEARCHMasters of the Nig
Page 5 and 6: ReadingUTPA invites you to joinRevo
Page 7 and 8: ich TraditionRESEARCHBallet Folkló
Page 9 and 10: RESEARCHas Harvard, Notre Dame and
Page 11 and 12: FibeRio TechnologyCorporation becom
Page 13 and 14: RESEARCHUTPA PresidentRobert S. Nel
Page 15: ON CAMPUSThe University of Texas-Pa
Page 19 and 20: ATHLETICSUTPA to host inaugural GWC
Page 21 and 22: javier palomarezJavier Palomarez, p
Page 23: ALUMNIAlicia Torres’83 AlumnaA su

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