The theme for this issue of Minero Magazine began with Adrian Broaddus’ idea for a story about the nightlife of Ciudad Juárez, México. Without noticing it, the city of Juárez became our central topic. I’m glad it turned out this way.

Juárez has a special place in the hearts of the UTEP students. Every day, hundreds of them cross the different international bridges in search of an education. Juárez is so close to UTEP that when you stand in front of the library, you are able to see the houses located in the mountains of our sister city.

This issue is about letting others know that Cd. Juárez is more than just cartels and violence. We want to let you know that the city is a place where great efforts are being made.

Violence went down, but unfortunately, it has increased once again in the last few months. I was questioning myself if publishing these stories was the correct thing to do, but I decided that we needed to demonstrate how people are working toward the creation of a better city.

As border students, we understand the truth of Cd. Juárez. We know about the hard-working Juarenses, and this issue is dedicated to them.

To prove this, I wrote a story about one of the biggest interactive museums of México. Through it, children of Juárez are learning about science, culture and history as a way of taking them out of the violence while creating educated citizens.

Our copy editor, Grecia Sánchez, wrote about a non-profit organization that initiates conversations between the citizens and the government, demonstrating that the border region is more than just what mainstream media portrays.

This issue also includes Christian Vasquez’ story about a UTEP student from Juárez, who lost his chance of graduating from this university due to problems with border security agents.

I want to offer my deepest thanks to Grecia, who was raised in Cd. Juárez, and who offered an international student perspective throughout the process of this magazine. To my friends Christian and Gaby, thanks for your jokes and help. Without you guys, this semester would have been harder than what it was.

This is my first issue as editor of Minero, and it has been a great experience, where I’ve learned and grown as a person and as a journalist.

To our readers, thank you for reading our magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

Rene Delgadillo