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From the Staff

By Lynn A. Cordova, A. Eric Bangs, and Annette M. Mowad

Editor: Lynn A. Cordova; Assistant Editor: A. Eric Bangs; Editorial Assistant: Annette M. Mowad
Faculty Advisor: Ruth E. Vise

We, the student staff of Borderlands, are representative of the broad spectrum of El Paso's population. The three of us are transplants form different parts of the country, and the appealing diversity of this area's culture makes us happy to call El Paso our home.

Before Eric Bangs moved to El Paso, he had traveled widely and had a great many misconceptions about this area and the people who live here. From movies and neighbors who had been to El Paso, he had pictured a place where nearly everyone spoke Spanish and haute cuisine was the enchilada. Now, four years later, he has grown to appreciate El Paso's multitude of cultures.

Annette Mowad has spent almost her entire life here in El Paso, and is fortunate to have a large close-knit family. Working on Borderlands as a journalism major, she has learned a great deal about her own cultural heritage, both Mexican and Lebanese. She is now more aware of the rich traditions and history behind everyday life in our borderland area.

Lynn Cordova, who has been named an honorary Mexican-American by her mother-in-law, is a working mother, wife, drafting student and scout leader. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, she encountered a completely different culture when she moved to El Paso twenty years ago. And when she married a third generation El Pasoan, she enriched her knowledge of the Mexican culture by learning everything she could about her husband's family and their customs.

As editors of Borderlands, the best experience has been being able to read about the food that we eat and the customs we follow and take for granted. Learning the intricate history behind ordinary folk dishes and traditions was fascinating. Our challenge then was to express our enjoyment and informative magazine.

The papers provided to us by the English 3112 students at El Paso Community College were filled with a great deal of valuable research and information. English 3112 is a research paper writing course. We spent much time learning the journalistic writing and editing processes so that we could turn academic research papers into feature stories. We are grateful for all of the students' hard work involved in the research that made this experience both edifying and fun.

There were many family members who contributed to this project. Grandmothers, mothers and aunts, uncles and brothers were sources for many of the interviews. We feel Borderlands is a presentation not only by EPCC students, but also a contribution from our families and friends to the border community.

¡ Buen provecho!

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