Valeria Tokun Haga/Vaquero Radio
The Student Union hosted its Union Unplugged event Tuesday at the Brownsville campus, providing students a chance to relax and enjoy music.
The event featured performances from Ritmo Sonali, a Mexican/Salvadorian singer-songwriter. Union Unplugged offered students free food, such as chamoy candies and refreshments.
Associate Director of the Student Union Sergio Martinez explained the main goal of hosting the event.
“We want to definitely promote a sense of belonging for students,” Martinez said. “We want to promote arts and culture. We want to give them an activity to engage with each other and relax in between classes. One of the goals of the Student Union is to bring people together. And what better way to do it than with some amazing music, as you can hear from Sonali.”
He also emphasized the importance of promoting local talent.
“Our goal was to identify local artists and bands that are unique to our region,” Martinez said. “We’ve been trying to do at least one band per month. This is our second year, and we’ve been successful at doing this at each campus. We bring artists and bands from different genres. Today, we’re featuring Latin jazz and folk jazz, but we’ve also done conjunto, EDM, indie rock, modern rock and even classic rock. It’s all about showing our students something different.”
Martinez said last Tuesday’s Unplugged event aimed to promote Cumbia Fest.
“We’ll continue with the Union Unplugged series,” Martinez said. “This is also a promo for our big event next week, Cumbia Fest. We have Fusion Live, a popular local band, and they will perform cumbia-themed solos, including a tribute to Selena, whose birthday is coming up.”
Sonali, a singer with a passion for rhythms such as Brazilian bossa nova and Afro-Cuban, has been singing for two years, embracing the emotional and physical connection with music.
She said the opportunity to perform was a chance to connect with others.
“I think any opportunity that comes my way that people would like to hear me sing or would like to have music present,” Sonali said. “I love music, I love how I feel when I’m in it. It’s really beautiful.”
Junior ESL education major Amanda Alvarado said Union Unplugged provided her with relaxment.
“Absolutely, because I didn’t even know I didn’t have class today. I walked by and saw this happening, and I was like, ‘Wow, I love this.’ I sat down, did my homework, and relaxed while enjoying the music and refreshments. This is exactly what the campus needs.”
This is Valeria Tokun Haga for Vaquero Radio.
