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Sombrilla Mast

Sombrilla

The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Magazine

Making History

UTSA embarks on its first-ever capital campaign.

The Movement

A journey through the South takes 40 UTSA students to places where civil rights history was made.

Art Evolution

UTSA alumni are showcasing their work around the world.

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The Paseo A Stroll Around Campus

Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams

Each year, more than 2,000 people become naturalized Americans at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

Egypt
Perfect Timing

An email, a revolution and new technology merge to offer new possibilities to Egyptians.

Religious Inspiration
Religious Inspiration

Churchgoers take a leap of faith to a healthier lifestyle.

View from half a world away
A View from Half a World Away

Five Texas photographers travel to China to share their vision of Texas.

Overheard
By the Numbers
In Brief
Milestone Makers

Donors Jeff '86 and Loretta '87 Clarke

Poetic Perfection

Carmen Tafolla has been named San Antonio's first poet laureate.

Viva Italia

UTSA partners with one of the oldest universities in Italy for a four-week summer course

Asian Festival turns 25

Participants greeted the Chinese New Year at the Institute of Texan Cultures on Jan. 28

Solar Power (To the People)

Solar panels installed on two Main Campus buildings generates energy and savings

Tsin Honored at White House

Biochemistry and physiology professor Andrew Tsin honored at the White House

Roadrunner Sports
Athlete Spotlight

Fabiola Arriaga, UTSA golfer, named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year

Sports Briefs

UTSA Athletics update

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Community Uniting Our Alumni

Sports
Living, loving, talking sports

Michelle Beadle '02 talks about her life as a co-host at ESPN's SportsNation.

Oppurtunity of a Lifetime
Opportunity of a lifetime

Alumni Association scholarship recipient hopes to change the world, beginning with his home country.

Class Notes
In Memoriam
Alumni Association News
Dashing for Diplomas

Record number of runners turned out for the 28th annual Diploma Dash City Championship

Alumni Profiles
Road to success

Leroy Alloway, M.P.A. '03

Editor's Note

The Movement Starts Now

Maybe it was just a coincidence that a few months after a busload of UTSA students traveled through the South on a civil rights exploration, I also found myself enveloped in history.

We are not makers of history. We are made by history.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

I was in Atlanta for a conference. I had a little extra time so a friend and I walked in downtown Atlanta, down streets lined with crumbling brick buildings and graffiti-covered facades, en route to Ebenezer Baptist Church—where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor. It's a modest brick church, with a blue sign that looks eerily similar to that of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., where four girls were killed when a bomb exploded in 1963, and just one stop on the "journey of enlightenment" for the UTSA students.

As I sat on a long, polished wooden pew, King's voice boomed out of speakers that must have been hidden somewhere. For just a moment, it was as if he was still alive, and I was one of his parishioners.

It gave me goose bumps. Then brought me to tears.

It was 1968 when King was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.—another one of the stops for our students on their civil rights journey. In the 13 years he led the modern civil rights movement, King is credited with accomplishing more toward racial equality than had been achieved in the three centuries before. But it's been 44 years since he was killed, and trip organizers said it's important that what King and countless others achieved isn't forgotten or taken for granted.

And it's critical that history doesn't repeat itself.

That's why the students traveled hundreds of miles by bus in the course of one week. That's why they sat for hours in hotel rooms, discussing their thoughts about race and discrimination in today's America. That's why they ended their journey singing freedom songs as they wound their way along San Antonio's East Side streets for the largest MLK march in the country.

The lessons they learned will continue long after the trip ended.

As one student said: "Words cannot describe how I feel, pictures cannot capture the growth, the change or the empowerment that I feel inside. But my actions will be a true testament of how impactful this trip was, and how appreciative I am of those who contributed to it. I will wait no longer; the movement starts now."

Saludos,

Signature Lety Laurel

Lety Laurel

Read More

Recent Achievement

The Fall 2011 issue, which honored student veteran Tony Doyle, won five awards for photography, design and periodicals improvement. The previous issue was also recognized for outstanding photography and website design.

O'Neil Ford early concept of UTSA campus

On the Background

The official launch of the university's first-ever capital campaign was held on April 12, announcing $94.3 million toward its capital campaign goal of $120 million to support students, faculty and the community. More at WeAreUTSA.com.

NOW & Then

before
after

It was March 1977 when the first electronic scoreboard arrived at UTSA. Today, a more modernized one, complete with sponsors, hangs above crowds that gather in the Convocation Center. Archive photo by Gil Barrera