Finding Love in a Vaquero Place

Anthony Tinay | Pulse

On Sept.19, the student club Team Victoriam hosted “Fall for Me” a speed dating event designed to let students get to know each other in a friendly and casual environment. 

Held in the Sage room in the Student Union on the Edinburg campus, the festivities included a round of icebreaker questions between pairs of people. 

Also included was a rendition of The Button, a version of the popular YouTube dating game, where contestants are asked personal questions to spark conversation, but if either person presses the button, the other person is swapped out.  

Team Victoriam President Juan Espinoza, a physics junior with a minor in pure mathematics, was ecstatic about the idea of holding a speed dating event, with the goal to “just help people get out of their own bubble and just talk with other people.”

When asked how to approach the prospect of helping students get out of their comfort zones, Espinoza said he aims to create a chill atmosphere, through the form of silly voices or belting out Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo as if his life depended on it. 

“ I feel like even though it’s a little scary at first, by doing the things I do, it creates a better atmosphere and gets people,” Espinoza said. “I get a little more happy.”  

Juan Puente, a criminal justice sophomore, was an attendee, who was thrilled to come to the event.

“I just came here to have a good time, you know?” Puente said. He later added, “It’s like the vibes are immaculate, that’s the way life is supposed to be.”

Events such as Fall for Me are designed to help students meet and connect, encouraging spontaneous social interaction with a low barrier of entry and low stakes. 

“It definitely makes us crack out of our shells, I feel like most of us here are just students who sometimes sit in a corner and stay to ourselves,” Puente said.

Allessandra Yerena, a psychology freshman, also attended the event, after learning about it on Instagram. 

“There’s a lot of people here that I haven’t seen,  it’s a good way to bring people together,,” she said.

 When asked about why she felt inclined to come to the event, she explained she likes meeting people, is a very social person and that an event like this is her “place to thrive.”

Puente and Yerena also participated in the game of The Button.

After a few intense rounds of conversation between Puente and several contestants, he was voted off. Speaking of his experience during  the dating game, he said “It was very nerve wracking, usually I don’t talk that much.” 

Yerena also added that her “ reflex came in when he said the button. I felt like I was playing speed or something.”

For them, all the activities during the event were designed to break the ice between strangers and felt intimidating at first, but ultimately came out of it feeling positive.

Team Victoriam is also planning more events for October, and can be found on Instagram @teamvictoriam.