As I begin to reflect on my time at UTEP, I can’t say that every day of my journey here has been one filled with smiles and laughter. Realistically, most days were filled with existential dread about my future career, figuring out how to balance more responsibilities than I had ever faced and how to pass my classes all at the same time.
During this time, I had to ask myself why I was doing this more times than I would like to admit. I was then reminded of my sister, Monica, who works in the UTEP IT department. A couple feet away and one floor down from The Prospector office my sister worked away. She graduated from UTEP with her bachelor’s in 2008 and with her master’s in 2012. Throughout this time, she worked three jobs to pay off her tuition…without debt. Most of my young life I didn’t see her until around 10 p.m. when she would get back from her afternoon classes. She was the first person who showed me that graduating from college was an actual possibility.
My sister used to mention to me that, as a kid, I was very introverted and would never really want to leave the house. My parents tell stories to my family members about how quiet and still I used to be. In high school I was always afraid of being myself; of drawing too much attention. I lingered to have a voice that not only could be heard but a voice that I felt mattered.
In October of 2020 I joined The Prospector as a contributor. Why in October? Because I was too afraid of applying earlier despite my journalism experience in high school. After my time as a contributor, I was promoted to staff photographer and then photo editor shortly after. As photo editor I worked under Julian Herrera, a tall guy who often dressed as Jason Voorhees, who helped me find a voice. It was through long conversations late at night at The Prospector office about which Monster energy drink flavor was the best, to ‘Does life have meaning?’, that I began gaining a voice that was louder than ever before. In January 2022 I began my role as editor-in-chief, something that I used to tell my parents was ‘Something I was never interested in doing.
As I sat in my office during my time as editor-in-chief of The Prospector, all I could think of was how many people supported me, vouched for me and encouraged me to reach for the ceiling when I believed I belonged on the floor. It is thanks to those same people who encouraged me to be editor-in-chief that I finally accomplished the goal of graduating from college, the same goal my sister implemented in me when I was six.
Thank you to everyone I worked with at The Prospector for your constant support while I worked there and even after I left. To Tracy, Veronica, Isabel and Amy, thank you for always supporting me in whatever way you could even after I left The Prospector. Your professional help is why I have gotten as far as I have. To my girlfriend Jen, thank you for always being the support I needed in my life and encouraging me throughout my time in college. I don’t know if I could’ve stretched my wings as far as I did if it wasn’t for you. To those at the El Paso Times, the Fort Worth Report and Texas Managing Editors thank you for taking a chance on me and providing me with incredible lessons. Y para mi familia gracias por creer en mí, por creer en mi sueño de ser un periodista, espero que puedan sonreír en saber que sus dos niños si pudieron hacer lo que ustedes siempre desearon.
Alberto Silva Fernandez is a former editor-in-chief at The Prospector.
