Category: Campus

Campus

DMC students eligible for emergency aid assistance

Heavenly Rodriguez

For third-year Del Mar student Leo Gutierrez, the student emergency aid assistance program arrived at a critical time during the spring 2026 semester. After switching majors, Leo did not receive financial aid in time to cover the cost of his 21 credit hours. Gutierrez learned about the student emergency aid program through Cynthia Longoria, Dean of Music at Del Mar College. “The application process was really simple and easy, took about 15 minutes, and I was approved within two days,” said Gutierrez.  The funding allowed Gutierrez to pay tuition for one class before the deadline, which was one of his…

Campus, Community, Music

Brass & blues: DMC Jazz Band preps for annual festival

Matthew Martinez

The rhythm section locks into a blues groove, and suddenly the humid South Texas air feels a little lighter. For three days every October, Heritage Park transforms into a sprawling showcase of brass and blues. Yet, behind the scenes, some of the musicians are not just touring professionals, they are local college students. “With orchestra music, it’s more restricted,” said Del Mar College tenor trombonist, David Hernandez. “But with jazz, there’s technically no rules if you know what you’re doing.” The love of jazz is what brings together the community and artists at the Texas Jazz Festival, scheduled for Oct.…

Campus, Community, Drama, Theater

Little Shop getting ready to feast at Finley

Gabriel Cando

Del Mar Drama’s cast and crew are deep in preparation for the fall production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” which debuts Nov. 5 “Little Shop of Horrors” is a dark comedy musical based on the 1960 film of the same name. It follows the story of a clumsy flower shop worker, Seymour Krelborn, who discovers an exotic, conscious plant with malicious intentions. Most recently, Aurora Arts Theatre performed the musical in the summer of 2023, and it is coming back to Corpus Christi at the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre on the Heritage Campus. It features ear-catching tunes like “Suddenly Seymour”…

Campus, Community, Food

Del Mar College culinary student cooks the competition

Alyssa Davis

AJ Willingham’s lemon olive oil cake took home the golden ticket this year at the Texas Food Championship.  Willingham, baking/pastry major who competed for the first time, practiced by making a lemon olive oil cake with lemon curd, pistachio mascarpone cream topped with a pistachio crumble, all of which sits on top of a blueberry compote.  According to Willingham, since this was her first time entering any baking competition her biggest challenge was just being in an unfamiliar setting. “Just being there and doing it in a different setting than where I’ve been practicing,” Willingham explained of the change. The…

Campus, Community, Staff

Campus mourns loss of Dr. Patricia Benavides-Dominguez

Victor Herrera

Del Mar College’s Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Patricia Benavides-Dominguez, 62, passed away suddenly in the early evening hours of Oct. 5. Her passing took her friends, family and community by surprise. “Her legacy will continue to be felt for generations through the many lives she changed and the opportunities she helped create,” said Dean of Student Engagement and Retention Rita Hernandez in a written statement. “I am profoundly grateful for her impact on our community and for the generosity of her family in sharing her with us.” Benavides-Dominguez worked for Del Mar for more than 20 years in…

Campus, Community, Education

Del Mar journalists compete at annual TCCJA conference

Arianna Rios

The Texas Community College Journalism Association hosted its an annual fall conference  for students in journalism and other media professions on Oct. 8-9 in Stephenville, Texas. Community college students from across Texas gathered to compete in a real-time multimedia reporting contest based on mock news events.  The conference also offers students professional development workshops held by industry experts to help students prepare for their careers in journalism and media after graduation. “I truly believe these competitions are essential experiences that could make someone a better journalist,” said Del Mar Digital Media major Tamara Martinez. “You get real life experiences from…

Campus, Community

Escamilla reflects on long tenure at DMC

Layla Fonseca

Del Mar College President and CEO Dr. Mark Escamilla has officially become the longest reigning president, recently reaching his 19th year as Del Mar College president. Escamilla is a Del Mar alumnus and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, along with a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.  Escamilla initially wanted to go to law school before his career took a turn into higher education. “After bumping my head around, I came to the realization that education was key. Then I thought back to my own experience and I said, ‘Del…

Campus, Column, Entertainment, Music

Covering Austin City Limits Festival as a first-time music journalist

Layla Fonseca

The Austin City Limits Festival celebrated 25 years at Zilker Park for two music-packed weekends, and I attended as media with a three-day weekend wristband for weekend two.  I like to call ACL “home,” having attended four times now. As a concert and festival lover this is my dream festival to work at, and I always joke after festival experiences that I could “write an essay about it.” Months prior I had learned that through my credentials as Editor-in-Chief of the Foghorn News, I could apply for a media pass.  So, at the beginning of September I sent out my…

Campus, Column, Community

Riding the B: Reality smashes public micconceptions

Matthew Martinez

The sun was scorching the metal arch above my head, the blowing wind from passing cars filled the streets. A few minutes passed and a public transport stopped for nearby passengers to be taken where they needed to go.             Stepping onto public transport for the first time can bring a wave of anxiety and a sense of unsafeness for many people. However, spending a few short hours riding the city’s transit lines reveals a contrast between public perception and the reality on the ground: The buses are exceptionally safe. To decrease the fear of riding the bus for the…

Campus, Column, Community

Riding the B brings people together from all walks of life

Christopher Munoz

After always being curious about the red buses driving around the streets of Corpus Christi, I was excited to learn about Del Mar College students being able to ride for free with their ID.  In class, we were assigned to get on the bus and find three people to talk to and ask them a few questions. “Don’t take anything valuable, be aware of your surroundings,” said my aunt when I told my family about my assignment. She had lived in Germany for a while and used the bus all the time there. The first time she used the bus…