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Senior biology major Daniel Garcia and sophomore chemistry major Sigrid Razo were crowned king and queen of the 58th annual Bougainvillea Ball. A total of 135 people attended the dance on April 18 in the Student Union’s Gran Salon, which was transformed to reflect the event’s oriental theme. Attendees entered the room through a red-and-black Chinese archway. Next to the archway, a dragon made of red-and-gold foil and Styrofoam teeth greeted guests. Students took their own photos in front of a shoji screen with red-and-gold fans in the foreground. Black banners decorated with gold Chinese symbols and sayings, including “Yours Underneath the Stars” hung from posts. “We got a good turnout,” Student Life Director David Mariscal said about the ball. “We were hoping to get a little more, but it looks like everybody is enjoying themselves.” The Bougainvillea Royal Court was elected April 16 and 17, with 627 votes cast, Mariscal said. Garcia and Razo, representing the Residence Hall Association, received 225 and 185 votes, respectively. “I want to thank everyone who voted for us,” Garcia said. “I am eternally grateful to them. It shows that with good effort and good people helping us out, we could win. Everybody helped us. I mean we didn’t give anything out, we just got our closest friends to help us out and give out fliers, and that’s how we won.”
The new king and queen hope to become more involved in the university and help promote it. “The main goal is to help make UTB look better,” Garcia said. “We can, all together, make UTB look like a great college; it is a great college and we have to represent it as a great college and that’s the best thing we can do for it.” Razo, who smiled when she received the crown, said she was surprised she won. “I really feel good,” she said. “It’s a really good experience. I didn’t expect this and I am very happy. I really appreciate everybody who voted for Danny and I.” The other members of the royal court are sophomore engineering technology major and International Student Organization representative Jorge Gonzalez, prince, with 220 votes; junior accounting major and ISO representative Laura Castillo, princess, with 177 votes; freshman communication major and College Assistance Migrant Program representative Frank Solis, duke, with 160 votes; freshman biology major and Sigma Psi Delta representative Jennifer Lopez, duchess, with 158 votes; and sophomore nursing major and C.A.M.P. representative Miriam Mendoza, countess, with 105 votes. Students at the ball enjoyed a variety of finger foods, such as cheeses, egg rolls, pickles, fruits and punch. Disc jockey Roxk played hip-hop, pop, Tejano and reggaeton.
Students took to the floor when “La Macarena” was played, all following the steps of the novelty song. First-year students enjoyed the event and said they would like to attend next year’s Bougainvillea Ball. “It’s really nice,” said freshman criminal justice major Karla Hernandez. “It’s our first time here. … We had a nice time. We’ll definitely come next year.” Freshman biology major Mayra Morin enjoyed the music. “I never attended a UTB event and it’s very nice, I like it a lot,” Morin said. “I like the music and it’s very fun.” The event was semiformal. Women wore cocktail dresses and men donned dress trousers and long-sleeved shirts. The ball is one of UTB/TSC’s oldest traditions on campus. For freshman Jose Xochi Mares, the event is a way to meet new people. “It’s really cool,” Mares said in Spanish. “For the people who are single, you see girls who are here alone and you ask them to dance and they say yes, and that’s nice because you don’t need to come with a partner in order to attend the dance. You can come just with friends and have fun.”
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