Although I was only withÂ
The University Star for one semester, my time here has impacted my life positively, both professionally and personally.
Entering the Life & Arts section, I wanted to be part of a writing process that challenged me, and that challenge is exactly what I received. WithÂ
The Star, my writing was pushed farther than it ever has been before. I was able to feel the highs of improvement just as much as the humbleness of failure. More than anything,Â
The Star instilled in me a drive to do better and reach higher for myself.
This past semester, my love for San Marcos and the Texas State community also grew, as I became more familiar with the people, organizations and local issues surrounding me. A town I aptly used to call purgatory has become a home I will now miss.
As viral trends surged across social media amid COVID-19, Texas State content creators take to the web, finding success through their virtual profiles.Â
When joining the hottest app during a global pandemic was all the rage, Texas State students bursting with enterprise found that following Tiktok s trends played a key role in kick-starting their careers as content creators.
For volleyball star Janell Fitzgerald, a health science junior with 67,300 followers on TikTok, joining the popular app was a way to escape her daily routine filled with volleyball and schoolwork.
âI love it, I really do like making content and whenever I have the time, itâs kind of like a stress reliever, if anything,â Fitzgerald says. âI couldnât ask for anything better.â
Part of the Like The Back of My Hand exhibit on the fourth floor of Alkek, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Andie Mau
On the fourth floor of Alkek Library, a quote from an anonymous student and sexual assault survivor displayed in the Students Against Violence (SAV) installation reads, Start believing us. It doesnât matter if he was a ânice guyâ and your experience is different. What he did to me was real.
To bring awareness to sexual assault on college campuses, Students Against Violence (SAV) created an art installation titled Like The Back of My Hand on the fourth floor of Alkek Library â an interactive fixture that allows sexual assault survivors to anonymously paint on the back of a 3D printed hand the age they were assaulted, how they were related to their assailant and what action the community can take to better support survivors.
Roger Maximo stands beside a mural of Frida Kahlo on Nov. 18, 2020 at Los Reyes Mexican restaurant, San Antonio. Photo courtesy of Roger Maximo Gonzales
After years of testing his endurance and toughness in sweat-generating sparring matches as an amateur boxer, Texas State alumnus Roger Maximo Gonzales has unlaced his gloves to create artwork inspired by childhood cartoons and celebrity legends.
After graduating from Texas State with a BFA in studio art, Gonzales went on to paint murals in cities across Texas, including San Marcos, depicting symbolic individuals like Frida Kahlo, Sid Vicious and George Floyd.
His artistic journey began while drawing on the walls of his childhood home with crayons.
Lights illuminate the UAC Arch, Monday, March 29, 2021, at Texas State. Jeffrey Halfen
At the end of a long school day, after whiteboards are wiped clean and students return home, Texas State s buildings continue to stay bright overnight. While campus walkways stay lit during all hours of the day, it comes at a higher price than one might think.
Electricity puts a 5% dent in the universityâs annual operating budget. It costs the university nearly $7 million dollars annually to keep buildings running 24/7. However, with campus constantly buzzing with activity, Texas Stateâs Chief Financial Officer Eric Algoe sees no time for making the switch from power to total darkness.