In celebration of Selena Day, fans gathered on campus to celebrate her birthday and legacy on April 16. People were encouraged to sing, dance and share how Selena has impacted their lives.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the “Queen of Tejano Music,” was a widely loved American singer, known for her energetic Tejano music. Highly praised, her songs have touched the lives of many, especially in Latin American communities.
While her career was on the rise, she was shot and died at the age of 25. Selena Day is celebrated to commemorate her life and celebrate the music she made.
While her musical career was on the rise, Quintanilla-Pérez was shot and killed by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, in a Corpus Christi motel. Selena Day was created to commemorate her life and celebrate the music she made.
Matthew Mendoza, a member of the Latin American Programs at New Mexico State University, explained Selena’s impact on his life. Allowing him to connect with members of his family he would otherwise have issues finding commonalities with.
“There’s something so integral to living in this area and Selena and Tejano music. There’s something uniting in it, it’s timeless, it’s ageless, and it’s always been nice to have something to connect with family,” Mendoza said. “Especially with some of my older family members, who I may not necessarily see eye to eye with. It was always nice to have Selena to fall back on.”
Mendoza recounted a morning where his family was woken up by his mother playing a Selena song so loud it could be heard throughout the house. He explained how it quickly became a moment for the entire family to connect with one another.
“It was one Saturday. Oh God, was it Saturday? I think it was Saturday. I hear music coming from the living room, and it’s blaring Selena,” Mendoza said. “I couldn’t even tell you what song it was. Everything’s kind of a blur together, but we just spent the morning singing together and dancing. It was fun. Me and all my siblings and my mom, it was nice. It’s nice to have those fun little memories.”
Rodrigo Figueroa, assistant professor of Spanish, shared his appreciation for the community that attended the event and the poetry given. He spoke about when he first discovered Selena living in Mexico City, and the feeling that came along with knowing she was dead before she got big there.
“It’s weird because I am originally from Mexico City, and when we learned about her [death], I was living there, but I was not familiar with her music,” Rigueroa said. “After that, I started listening to her and she became a sensation in Mexico City, but before that she wasn’t. So, it was sad that she had already passed away when she became famous. It was bittersweet.”
The event held many activities which revolved around Selena, including a dance competition, poetry readings, monologues? and, of course, Selena karaoke. The poems consisted of a variety of topics; discussing Selena, her music, and the connections they have made through her music.
One monologue by Dae Romero held the crowd captive. In their monologue, they walked through their grieving process after their grandmother died in 2021.
“I do hope tomorrow is better, but with grief that’s never promised. My grandma’s name is Cristela, and she loved Selena,” Romero said. “So, I hope that you go home, and you hug whoever you can today because you never know when they’re gonna be gone, just like Selena.”
