For the first seven years of my life, I only knew El Paso through the lens of a visitor, coming every summer to visit my grandparents.
Then came the summer of 2013, which I was not as excited about because I was moving.
The thought of my parents being split between two states and my friends, who before were two houses away, now being almost 2,000 miles away, were all thoughts that I was mad about and didn’t want to become reality.
Well, maybe mad isn’t the right word. People I went to elementary school with would better describe me as a crybaby -and they aren’t half wrong.
By the way, to both my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins who are reading this, I’m really sorry for being such a stubborn kid. I love you guys.
The fact that I’m even writing this article at my age, 18, for a university publication, is a testament to the love you have shown me.
Maybe hindsight is 20/20 in this instance, but I am so glad to have moved to El Paso. This city has brought me so many experiences, opportunities and love that are entirely unmatchable.
Whether it was anchoring my old high school’s announcements, making zany history videos and broadcasting games at such a young age, the support shown to me throughout my time at Eastwood, through family, friends and teachers, has resulted in the growth you see today.
I’d be remiss to not mention the importance that Speech and Debate has had in my life.
It’s the reason why I’m comfortable when doing stand-ups, calling games, hosting podcasts, etc. But the most important lessons I’ve taken away from the activity are first, do things because you love them and second, put energy into what matters.
In Speech and Debate, it is easy to compare yourself to others or look at other teams and be intimidated. For a long time, my head was stuck putting energy into those intangible feelings.
Luckily, I had one final chance to refocus, and I made the most out of it, not because I achieved a certain result, but because I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing.
It’s easy to dig ourselves into a hole of comparison, especially right now when friends are scattered all over the world. I get that, yet I’m a firm believer that a person has no limits despite their circumstance.
Sure, its tougher to get what we want, and our goals might be further away than we would like them to be.
However, they are not unreachable. One of my uncles, Jose Torre, put it to me simply this past December, “The more obstacles that are in your way, the better.”
I personally believe the students at UTEP hold a strength like no other. Not only do we have to work harder to achieve what we want, we have to think more critically about what we have and demonstrate our passion all the more.
Personally, I love to tell stories, and as the multimedia editor I can’t wait to tell the stories behind the people on our campus, who hold the biggest hearts in America.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected], on Instagram and X @sebastianpn8.
