On July 15, friends and family of UTEP’s alumni gathered together from 4 to 7 p.m. to take part in the sixth annual UTEP Alumni Association’s “Pick-nic,” held in scenic Mckelligon Canyon. The event offered a variety of fun activities for the whole family such as a jumping balloon, a watermelon eating contest, Zumba, hula hoops, a raffle and much more.
“I love coming to these picnics, there are so many events you can take part in my favorite for sure would have to be the Zumba. Everyone is dancing and laughing it’s a great time,” said alumni family member Monica Espinosa.
UTEP’s College of Business, Liberal Arts, Science and Education were also celebrating their 50th anniversary and took part in the event and engaged with their alumni as well by providing fun trivia, mentorship opportunities and future events alumni can look forward to.
El Paso wasn’t the only city celebrating its Miner pride. 25 cities across the nation and worldwide such as New York City, Denver, Houston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chihuahua and many others held their own alumni “pick-nic’s” simultaneously.
Maribel Villalva, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations shared her excitement about the international event, “Being a miner is a very exciting thing, you don’t stop being a miner the day you graduate. These picnics worldwide are an opportunity for alumni to come together again and help build that continuing spirit of their university; it’s fun you get to network and on top of that we want to encourage engagement and community service within their communities.”
UTEP hopes that these events will continue for years to come. Alumni Board Director and Vice President for Public and Student Relations Art Gloria spoke of what he hopes the future will hold for these events.
“Every year these picnics continue to grow and we hope that doesn’t stop. We want people to be engaged even after they graduate and we hope these events will encourage more people to be involved with UTEP and with their careers and lives.”
