Celeste Alvarez

I was raised in the small multi-cultured community of Brawley, California, 30 minutes outside Mexico. As the only daughter and the youngest of three, I was always encouraged to express myself. At a young age I discovered the power one’s voice could have on individuals, however it wasn’t until I entered Ms. Gina Germani’s Journalism101 course, at the Imperial Valley College, did I come to appreciate this idea. During the course of the semester I awoke to a world beyond Brawley, to a place where millions of individuals all across the world shared their own voice, their own opinion, their own story. The idea of helping those individuals share their stories with the world immediately appealed to me. I had fallen in love with journalism. Since my self-discovery I have interned at my local region’s newspaper, The Imperial Valley Press and have had the honor of having a class article published by Borderzine.com, Imperial Valley supports soldiers in annual “Treats for the Troops.” During my internship I have had the opportunity to take on nationwide issues affecting the local community, localize state issues, and announce community advancement efforts. On May 4th, I was recognized for my work in both the Journalism department and the Work Experience, internship department of IVC and was awarded two certificates for outstanding scholastic accomplishment. I hope to attend the University of Southern California of Annenberg Schools for Communication & Journalism in the fall of 2013 and continue pursuing my goal of becoming a foreign correspondent.

Ricardo Arellano helps out his 8 year-old son trying new boots at Juarez Boots. (Adolfo Mora/Borderzine.com)

El Paso the Boot Capital of the World, but not for El Pasoans

By Celeste Alvarez | May 24, 2012

EL PASO – “One moment,” Juan Guzman Villalobos said as he grabbed more cowboy boots from his RV parked outside the Border Farmworker Center in El Paso, Texas. Juan’s excitement in displaying a mixture of exotic and working boots made him forget about his ride to work. After a few minutes he comes out holding on to a pair of well-worn boots. “I prefer the ones made with ostrich skin because they are the most comfortable to use,” Juan explained while lining his eight pairs of boots in the RV steps. He then points to a pair of boots crafted with alligator skin, then picks up another made out of cow hide embellished with tiger prints.

Imperial Valley supports soliders in annual “Treats for the Troops”

IMPERIAL, Calif.—Imperial Valley College’s Students for Political Awareness held its eighth annual “Treats for the Troops” campaign on Saturday, focusing on “Operation America,” a club project dedicated to supporting American veterans, and U.S. troops deployed around the globe. Various members of this U.S.-Mexico border farming community showed up at the Imperial Veterans Hall to support the cause. Whether they had been involved in the program before or not, they all had their own stories representing a need to volunteer their time for the campaign. The following is a slideshow of the volunteer efforts.

Borderzine - Reporting Across Fronteras

Celeste Alvarez

El Paso the Boot Capital of the World, but not for El Pasoans

By Celeste Alvarez | May 24, 2012

Imperial Valley supports soliders in annual “Treats for the Troops”

By Celeste Alvarez | October 20, 2011