The transition from high school to college treats everyone differently, but for most it represents the growing pains of transitioning into adulthood. Jordan Ortega is an eagle guide, the marketing manager of the Hispanic Student Organization (HSO), and a student worker at TAMUT’s bookstore. 

Like many others, Jordan expected college to be somehow like highschool. “I didn’t expect to be as involved,” he said “I just went to [high] school, got it done, and that’s what I was expecting [in college].” However, the experience that awaited him was far from those expectations. Graduating with a class size of 900 students from MacArthur High School, the shift to a small school seemed to not only benefit Jordan, but also everyone and everything he has had an impact on. Recalling one of his first memories at TAMUT meeting new people during SOAR, he said “It’s a moment that I never thought would lead to something else.”

A year later, Jordan has found himself getting to know new people everywhere he goes. After joining the HSO thanks to his professor Dr. Luz Mary Rincon, Jordan has taken a crucial part in the growth of the organization. “I asked [my friends] to join, and we were all a big part of how this club came to grow, […] we just had events, recruited some people, sent out emails asking them to join and now we have 20 to 21 members,” he said. Last spring the organization had two events during TAMUT’s Spring Fling Week, ‘Aguas Frescas’ hosted in the campus’ soccer field, and later in the week a ‘Kickback at the Park’ event hosted in Bringle Lake Park. This semester they have participated in TAMUT’s Spotlight on Texarkana and have scheduled events for Hispanic Heritage Month, including a Hispanic Heritage Trivia night on September 16th and a ‘Loteria’ event on September 26th. 

Growing up with four older siblings and two younger ones, Jordan sometimes finds it conflicting to have his family acknowledge the changes he has gone through his first year in college. Working two jobs, being a member of the HSO board, and renting his own apartment have all been experiences that have allowed him to transition into adulthood. But being back home, it feels that nothing has changed. “I had to be like a little kid again. I had to ask for permission, I had to act a certain way, I was expected to do certain things, to be a certain way” he says, “I love my parents, I love my siblings, but I also love getting to be myself and getting to do my own things, and not having to prove to my parents or siblings [that] I’m an adult now.” In order to cope with it, he has decided to remain true to himself and everything he has learned while being in college, “this is who I am, this is what I’ve learned, this is what I’m gonna keep doing. If they don’t like it, well I feel like I have the right to do my own thing” he said. 

Texas A&M University of Texarkana (TAMUT) student Christian Cuellar is in his second semester at the university. Besides working on his major in software engineering, Cuellar’s focus on campus has been finding ways to contribute to the community. “I’ve always wanted to just try and do good for the environment or others.” He participated in the university’s annual “Big Event” earlier this year where he helped paint houses. He’s also in the process of joining the Circle K International club on campus. He knows the school offers a lot of opportunities for students, and wants to take advantage of more this year.

Cuellar’s motivation to apply himself at TAMUT comes from a lackluster experience at University of Arkansas Hope / Texarkana. “I really didn’t like it there,” he says. Cuellar admits he did not try his best at UAHT, but also puts some blame on the college’s professors. He appreciates how he can better communicate and socialize with his professors at TAMUT. Socialization, according to Cuellar, is a “key aspect of college”. This, of course, extends beyond professors. His involvement in campus clubs and events has led to him making new friends and rekindling relationships with lost friends. He says this has made his college experience more enjoyable, and recommends new students to put themselves out there and create those connections. 

Aside from school, Cuellar also works a labor job at Fastenal. While the job is not comparable to his future in software engineering, he says it has improved his work ethic overall, and thinks the set schedule will be good for any future jobs. To balance having both a job and a full school schedule, Cuellar takes a majority of his classes online. This has helped him plan his schedule out easier. While Cuellar might not have too much free time, he enjoys playing video games, watching TV, and reading books. He hits the gym when he can and otherwise likes to stay home and “chill”.

As for the future, Cuellar is looking for a career he can be passionate about. He’s been enjoying his journey as a software engineer, and wants to use those skills to leave a mark on the world. He isn’t quite sure where he’ll end up settling down, but plans to head to Dallas or wherever there is more opportunity. All he knows for sure is, “I don’t really see myself being in Texarkana all my life.” For now, Cuellar plans to finish his major in software engineering at TAMUT and possibly get a bachelors in physics later down the line. He is also committed to helping out the community whenever possible.

For Allison Wade, it all began in a little one-hallway elementary school in Malta, TX. Here she would find her passion for English, and in turn, her love for teaching. Even as a grade school student, Allison found herself in the position to help her fellow students who found themselves struggling with the lessons. She says, “I’m very thankful that I had that experience because one of my old classmates saw me and said, ‘You know, I couldn’t have done that class without you.’ … That helped drive me to where I am today knowing that I have a passion for teaching that started early on.” This ignited her desire to continue helping students, especially those who find school challenging.

Having always been academically driven, wrapping her self-worth up in her grades, Allison has found the experience of attending TAMUT has changed her perspective on what is important in school and life. Where insignificant test scores once drove her, Allison says, in her new university setting, “I just learned it is just like a blip in my whole life about what grade I’m making on this singular assignment. And it doesn’t define anything. So, I had to grow and change where my value was found.” So, she began finding her worth in the relationships and community she developed attending TAMUT. “Because if you surround yourself with fun, good people, you don’t really search for validation as much as you would if you didn’t feel like you belonged anywhere.”

Allison feels that her experience student teaching while at TAMUT has made her much more serious about her future role as an educator. What started with confidence, Allison has learned spending time in the classroom is far different than she ancticipated. She says, “It’s nothing compared to actually being in the moment… But it is so much more than I could have ever imagined.”

To deal with these new and exciting challenges of becoming a future educator, Allison relies on her faith to get her through the difficult times. She keeps a photo of her younger self on her mirror to remind her that we are all God’s creations and to follow the golden rule. Her faith and her church have been a large part of what motivates her to be a good teacher. Her driving force boils down to this: “What little mustard seed of faith I can put in people’s life, and it all came from the experiences I had.” 

Artist. Athlete. Singer. Jewelry maker. Crocheter. These titles describe TAMUT freshman and biology major Charis Minson. Charis is an avid singer with a deep connection to music. She finds herself singing while she crochets, makes jewelry, and draws. Anything you can do, Charis can do singing. Alongside her creative hobbies, Charis is an athlete. Today, she plays tennis and an occasional basketball game, but has experience in cross-country, volleyball, and track.

“I feel like I kind of do a little bit of everything,” she says.

Charis comes from a big family. She and her twin brother are the youngest of five total children; her father is the youngest of eight. She recalls spending Thanksgiving together, gathered around a traditional Cajun South Louisiana spread. Charis speaks highly of her family and is particularly inspired by her mom.

“She is like the most supportive and sweet person,” she says. She loves spending time with her mom, even if there is nothing on the agenda.

Every week, Charis goes to school, works, and attends church.  Her heap of responsibilities doesn’t allow for much free time, so she savors her days off. Charis’s perfect day consists of sleeping late, making breakfast with her boyfriend, doing some crocheting while watching a movie, and then making bracelets with her friends (extra points if it’s a rainy day – that’s her favorite).

Charis’s ultimate goals in life are happiness, financial stability, and travel opportunities. She dreams of experiencing the world and learning about the ways people live. Her five-year goals are to be married to her boyfriend, to be in medical school, and to be somewhere “not here”, she says. Charis has a solid plan and is actively building her future, equipped with an array of skills and expertise.

Mason Higginbotham is turning a childhood necessity into an avenue for students to explore their creativity.

“I grew up with a very poor family where I had to sew my own toys … I built an Iron Man suit out of scraps that had a working light bulb for the arch reactor,” Mason said. 

“I’ve always wanted … to give kids opportunities because I believe there should be a third place where kids can go to learn skills. And not all of them want to be in theater, but they want to learn how to 3-D print; they want to learn how to code; they want to learn how to make things.”

Mason, a 24-year-old Master’s of Arts in Theater student, is in his third year of teaching theater arts at New Boston High School. 

He first began his journey into theater as a high school student at Texas High. He said it was a way of following in his brother’s footsteps and meet girls.

“…I was like, ‘That sounds interesting.’ And, you know, I was a high school boy and there were girls in theater … I can do the tech stuff, I can build stuff, do all the manly stuff,” he said.

His first year, he worked in the technical and production sides of his high school theater program before trying out and winning a leading role in the high school musical. He continued to learn and grow in theater arts throughout high school and into college, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Theater with a minor in Film Studies from the University of Central Arkansas.

While Mason enjoys teaching at the high school level, his ultimate goal is to open a business where he can create a makers’ space for anyone interested in exploring creativity, no matter their economic status.

“I want anyone to have the opportunity to do things they can’t afford … I don’t want there to be barriers for a kid to want to be able to be creative,” he said.

After moving from Louisiana to Texas after Hurricane Katrina, Brandi Brown’s father fell in love with Church on The Rock. Now, 19 years later, Brandi runs the Church’s social media page while attending TAMUT. 

“When I was a young adult, I just went and did my own. I was in the streets living life like consequences didn’t exist. Then one day I looked at my daughter and asked myself, “Am I living a lifestyle she would be proud of?” Brown said after talking about how long she has been attending church. 

After shifting her life to better focus on becoming a role model to her daughter, Brandi attended school at Texarkana College and graduating with a degree in Behavioral Science she decided to attend A&M. After losing her job and having to take a break from school Brandi found interest in graphic design  and enrolled to get her degree in Mass Communications. Brandi does the sound for Church on The Rock, while also helping with the youth ministry online learning courses. She is also getting ready to take on the role as a leader for the Young Adult Small Group at the church. 

Brandi has hopes of someday moving to Austin Texas where she feels she will be around the influences she needs to move further in her career. Brandi said “Ultimately, at the end of it all, I want to create my own  bible based curriculum for homeschooling, and churches that have co-ops with homeschooling.”

Recent world tensions have trickled into a main focus of young social media users and some of our beloved brands have taken a side that many do not stand for. The conflict going on in the Gaza Strip has been going on since October of this year and sadly doesn’t show a stopping point anytime soon. The tensions started when Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, led surprise attacks on multiple locations in Israel including a music festival, towns, and even a military base. Since this, Israel has vowed to put an end to Hamas and will do anything necessary to reach this goal. Here is where the issue lies, they are using many tactics that some would feel unethical and very drastic. Israel has besieged Gaza and since launched a ground invasion and since there has been a back-and-forth bloodbath from both sides.

What has really taken the internet by storm was the lawsuit that Starbucks issued against one of its own workers unions. Starbucks Workers United shared a post on their social media depicting their support for the Palestinians during this tough time and Starbucks struck back with a lawsuit claiming that the group cannot use their name and a logo resembling their own. The union returned with a comment claiming that Starbucks is against Palestinian support. This caused outrage on both sides and in such has stirred up the younger adult online community, the majority of Starbucks customers.

Many college students and other young adults across social media have spoken out about their position against Israel and its inhumane use of military force and even calling the ground invasion and other attacks “genocide” of Palestinian people. The lawsuit and all the drama around Starbucks and other brands has sparked a boycott of certain companies that show support of Israel and that send funds to them, essentially supporting the war effort and encouraging and actively participating in the act of genocide. A student from Texas A&M University- Texarkana says, “ I think big corporations were at some point thinking about making money [over the conflict] so they went towards the money without thinking about the people and now they are realizing that their choice to make money is actually losing them money.” Currently, there hasn’t been too much buzz locally but knowing that some students may feel a certain way about the conflict and also having a Starbucks at the Patterson Student Center, may influence some to protest and boycott on campus.

Hopefully the conflict will end soon in the most humane and peaceful way, allowing both sides to come to an agreement and stopping the unneeded killing, but until that happens, will you be dining at Starbucks?

As we enter this holiday season, seasonal decorations have become more and more prevalent. With Christmas coming up, now is the time to catch up on your decorations if you haven’t begun decorating yet, or to get new decorations if your old ones are in need of replacement. That said, if you do not intend to leave town for your holiday-needs, there are two highly suitable locations within Texarkana for you to purchase Christmas decorations from.

Starting with what may be the most obvious location, Walmart has no shortage of Christmas decorations. As a part of their Walmart-brand Holiday Time line of items, you will find a respectable variety of decorations ranging from stockings to ornaments. Aside from their own line of items, Walmart also carries some licensed decorations, most notably a selection of items based off of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That said, Walmart’s selection isn’t the definitive one-stop-shop for Christmas enthusiasts, and sticking to their selection may bring you to both Texas and Arkansas stores in search of what you need.

If you find yourself not impressed with the assortment of decorations supplied by Walmart, then the best location you can go to would be Hobby Lobby. With aisles of Christmas decorations even back in September, Hobby Lobby has no shortage of variety in store, with a solid selection of nutcrackers, snowglobes, and more. That said, it is understandable that some may not want to give business to the store chain due to some of their more outspoken religious views, though if you do choose to buy your decorations there, you will find far more variety than you would at Walmart.

In the end, while the feeling that Christmas and it’s decorations can bring are something truly noteworthy about the season, it’s important to focus on the things that matter. Even if you decide to shop at either aforementioned store for decorations, remember to not go overboard and spend so much that you neglect to save enough for your needs and for your loved ones. This may sound obvious, but speaking from personal experience, it’s easy to go overboard on Christmas-themed items. Have a merry Christmas and good luck on your final exams.

Texarkana Texas hosted their annual 5K Turkey Trot this past Thanksgiving day and the turnout was fruitful! 

This past Thanksgiving day, Texarkana’s Community Healthcore Foundation hosted its 10th annual 5k Turkey Trot. This event is hosted every year in hopes of raising support and funding for the foundation. 

According to TXK Today, “All proceeds raised from the event go towards supporting Community Healthcore Foundation, a non-profit agency that is responsible for providing mental health services, intellectual and developmental disability programming, substance use disorder treatment, and assistance to homeless veterans in 9 counties across Northeast Texas, including Bowie, Cass, and Red River Counties.”

The run was at Spring Lake Park and started at 8:30 am and ended around 10 am with about 350 participants in total this year. Students of the school district, parents, teachers, and many more got together on Thanksgiving Day to give back to their community. 

This year was unique since it was the 10th annual 5k Trot, demonstrating that the Turkey Trot has continued to be successful and reliable for the past decade when it comes to supporting community health core, despite the pandemic and other events.

Every year the 5k Turkey Trot updates about where it will be hosted and other various details will be available on the Community Healthcore Foundation website as well as their event page on their Facebook page as well.

Here is a link to the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/794313118735313/?active_tab=discussion

On Saturday November 25, WWE presented the 37^th annual Survivor Series pay-per-view from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The event was given the name Survivor Series: Wargames because of the Wargames matches held. The event sold over 17,157 tickets, a nearly sold out crowd.

            The event began with the Women’s Wargames match, a match where two teams of four or five members compete in rings that are enveloped by a giant steel cage. The match starts with two competitors at first but at different time intervals a new member of each team enters the rings, the match does not officially begin until every member has entered and ends when someone is pinned or submits. The teams consisted of Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch, going against the team of Damage CTRL consisting of Bayley, Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Kairi Sane. There was some discontent between team members Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch during the match, but they put aside their differences to win with a pinfall on Bayley.

            The second match was between Gunther, the intercontinental champion, and The Miz for the title. The Miz won a Fatal Four Way match on Monday Night Raw to earn himself the No. 1 contendership. The Miz put up a good fight but could not put away Gunther even after hitting him with his signature Skull Crushing Finale. Gunther preformed a splash from the top rope and then applied a Boston Crab maneuver for the submission retaining the title.          

            Next was a Lucha Libre style match between Santos Escobar, former member of the LWO (Latino World Order), and Dragon Lee, a fill in for LWO member Carltio. The match was fast paced and had high flying action from the both, but finished with Escobar hitting a Hurricanrana and his Phantom Driver for the pin.

            In the semi-main event match for the women’s championship, the champion Rhea Ripley representing The Judgment Day took on Zoey Stark. Zoey Stark is a new up-and-comer on the main roster who won a Battle Royale to get a one on one match for Rhea’s title. Zoey may have had the speed advantage but Rhea has more size and power. After hitting an illegal headbutt she hit her Riptide signature move for the pin.

            The main event of the night was the Men’s Wargames match between the teams of Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayne, Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton going against the Judgment Day made of Damian Priest, Finn Balor, “Dirty” Dominick Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Drew Mclyntire who is not an official member of the Judgment Day but sided with them. When announcing that Randy Orton was the last member of Cody’s team, his teammates were worried because Orton has not been around since getting injured last year and feared that he would not show up. But at the last minute he appeared and back in his top condition. After a long brutal fight Cody was able to hit his Cross Rhodes on Damian Priest getting the win for his team.

Only moments after the grueling match ended however music played and out came CM Punk, a true wildcard that nobody expected. The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers for their hometown hero who hadn’t been in the WWE since 2014. Local TAMUT student Michael Wells said this about the event “My favorite match was the men’s war games match. Seeing Cody Rhodes standing tall as the winner like his father Dusty who invented the match decades ago was great to see… CM Punk was just icing on the cake.”