Student Reviews: Pulse Issue 009
Celeste Lopez
Philosophy junior with a minor in legal studies
Favorite story: “Students Raising Students”
“Last year, when I was a senior [in high school], I was on a school trip and they took us [to UTRGV] to see a play. We were exploring around and I saw where they hold the Pulse magazines. I opened it and I’m like, ‘Well, this is really cool and interesting.’
I remember thinking, “I really want to go to this school because they have something as cool as this.” … It just really inspired me and I wanted to write because of it.
“Students Raising Students”–I love that. … It’s awareness that just really makes people think more.
I love the quality of the magazine. I love this feeling of paper.
[Pulse talks] about a lot of different subjects that normally people don’t think about or mention. I guess people are kind of scared to bring up these thoughts and ideas because it’s always like [agreeing] with them, but, when I was reading [the magazine], I feel like it’s both sides.
I love the pictures. I loved how [Pulse] got the students involved because I know [in] other organizations it’s just who [they] know and only put their friends. But [Pulse] just got everybody involved.
It’s not just like some boring, woke type of newspaper or something. It’s something that is involved in our everyday lives and there’s research put into it. There is a lot of effort and thoughts put into it.
I think Pulse is just truly a beacon of inspiration and connection within our educational community. It serves as a vibrant platform for creativity, achievement and diverse voices. Students and faculty alike are showcased and celebrated. And that’s why I like everything. … That’s why I really enjoy it.”
Javier Mendez
English education junior
Favorite story: “Siren” (Contribution)
“I’ve heard about [Pulse] for a while, but the main reason I wanted to pick up this issue was because a friend of mine … has a story that’s published in here, [“Siren”].
It’s a bit of a horror story and … I wanted to support her. I’d say that this is kind of a great achievement. It’s a really good story.
“Siren” gives a little bit of an existential worry. There’s a monster towards the end that’s kind of built up of random junk. And then it says, ‘Why did you leave the depths of your birthplace and why are you so determined to destroy it?’ I mean, the fear is very much real there because even if you don’t really believe in monsters, which I personally don’t, it’s still kind of horrifying to be left with just your planet [destroyed], you know? And, I’m a planet activist in a way.
I’d say [Pulse] is pretty solid. It touches on some relevant topics, honestly. One of them that I was reading was the article on stan culture, which I personally find very interesting. Although [I am] not really into any of the artists mentioned, I do find a lot of interest in how the fans kind of react to [their] content. Another one that I actually liked … [introduces] the band Milklace, since I personally like to be involved in the local music RGV scene. This is a great way to introduce new up-and-coming musicians in UTRGV or the RGV.
[Pulse] has some really interesting creative writing stories [and] some really relevant topics, some that actually get you to think. For example, [it contains] the one on AI, which I am very strongly opinionated on [and] the one on stan culture. … Although … in my opinion, it could have been way more into detail about stan culture.
There’s another article in here that interested me, that one about Roe v. Wade, actually. It’s informing people of these resources that they can get.”
Ingridy Foltran
Civil engineering senior
Favorite story: “On and Off the Court”
“I wasn’t [familiar with Pulse]. I started following the page after the interview [I was in]. [Karina Alegre] from Pulse went there and talked to me. She was so sweet and it was just a great time.
I had seen it on-campus though; I have seen it around. I remember that when I [first] saw it, I got one of the magazines but I didn’t [take] too much time to read it. [I did] this time for Pulse 009. I love it and I think it is awesome.
I really liked the colors. I liked everything on it. I think [Pulse] did amazing.
I felt that [Pulse] could put everything I wouldn’t notice happening in UTRGV in one book or magazine. You can see everything that’s happening at the campus because sometimes we are just like in our routines. … A lot of things that we don’t know [are] happening.
I really like to know more about the stories of other people. I saw one of the posts, [“Legionary”]. It was three [siblings] that were doing gym. I followed them on Instagram. … So, I really like that it’s everything, complete of everything.
My story too, [“On and Off the Court”]. [I like] having my name there. I got like five because I wanted to give it to my friends. I want to give it to my family.
I think the questions and the answers that I gave [tell] a lot about myself. I was really honest. Just reading it, I think the interview was amazing. With my coach too. It was my coach, me and Elise [Fourt]. I think it was pretty good.
I recommend [Pulse]. I told my friends to read it when I [first] got the magazine. I went to class [and] they were like, ‘Are you reading it?’ … It’s so cool.
As I said before, it’s awesome to see a lot of things happening on campus, outside campus [and] close to me that I didn’t know about. To see that really made me feel very happy.
I read in the beginning it [said] something about [Pulse] tried to keep very artistic with the colors and stuff and I love that. I love to see all the colors and to see different fonts, different colors for each page. I really like that. And I see that you can put it in an artistic way [while] being formal and balancing both.”
