My last semester is finally here. It seems like it was yesterday when I walked through the Union for the first time. I remember watching students dressed in their cap and gown taking graduation pictures at Centennial Plaza and now I am one of them. The feeling is bittersweet, I am excited about the journey that lies ahead, but at the same time, I feel sentimental leaving this campus where I have had so many amazing experiences.

I remember my first semester at UTEP, I was amazed by its size, the huge spaces from building to building, made the campus feel like a city. I felt so much pride being able to attend this university. When I was young, driving from I-10 to Sunland Park my dad would point at the campus and tell me “look, that’s the University of El Paso.” The thought of attending UTEP back then felt nearly impossible, but I dreamed still of attending UTEP and graduating. And now, years later I think about those moments with melancholy and gratitude.

I have always lived in Juárez, so my family and I were already very familiar to El Paso, but since I started studying at UTEP it felt different, I got to see El Paso from a different perspective. I met amazing people from different parts of the world and brilliant professors from different educational backgrounds that helped me achieve my goals.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the  Student Media & Publications staff. Especially Veronica Gonzalez, for accepting me as another member of their amazing family, thank you for teaching me and helping me grow as a person. You provided me with tools that I would not have gotten otherwise. I admire you for your patience and dedication to this institution and for your ability to prepare incredible things for this community. Working for The Prospector and Minero Magazine has been one of the most precious memories I will always carry with me for years to come. Thank you, everyone, for your perseverance and efforts.

Also, I would like to thank UTEP’s Study Abroad program and the Creative Writing Department for allowing me, and a lot of other students, to achieve their dreams of traveling abroad and have wondrous experiences overseas. Thank you for giving so many students the opportunity to expand not only their minds but their horizons as you did with me.

Thank you UTEP, for everything.