SAN ANTONIO — Editor's note: The above video was originally published on May 19.
Me siento...muy excited to share with you all that the University of Texas at San Antonio will offer a course on Tejano music legend, Selena Quintanilla.
According to a tweet from the University's official Twitter account, the course, Selena: A Mexican American Identity and Experience, will be offered this fall and taught by Mexican-American Studies professor, Dr. Sonya Aleman.
"Professors frequently have like a dream course that they'd like to teach one they get to that point, 'You know if I could design anything; if I could have a course--this would be it!' Well, this was my dream!"
The course will explore issues surrounding race, class, and gender, along with identity formation, and media representation.
"There's a line in the film that gets quoted and used a lot by of members of the Mexican-American community, where her dad is speaking to her and AB and he says 'We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans to be accepted' and that's kind of what drove the course description."
Dr. Aleman and her students will dissect and discuss exactly what that phrase means, where it comes from and "the different system that we're operating in, that make that a reality for Mexican-Americans."
As for why Dr. Aleman chose Selena as the anchor for the course, she said that it goes back to representation.
"She is one of the few recognizable and celebrated representations of someone who looks like the people [students] see every day. It's something that matters because representation matters. They see themselves in her."
Which is why Dr. Aleman said that it made "perfect sense" to bring a course like this (the first of its kind in the Lone Star State) to UTSA.
"I'm very surprised that it hasn't been done. It just seemed like a no-brainer for that to be an anchor point for a class, for this community, for these students."
While she has many hopes and dreams for this course, one of the biggest is what she hopes her students will take away from it.
"I hope that they have a renewed sense of pride in the history and experiences of their community... So the love and passion...for Selena...that, that then translates into the larger community that they belong to."
The Corpus-Christi born singer who was tragically murdered at the age of 23 has long been adored by fans and revered as both the Queen of Tejano Music and the Queen of Cumbia.
Despite this year being the 25th year since her death, it seems as though her star continues to grow as new generations learn of her influence not only on the music industry but the fashion and beauty industry as well.
Whether it's through her music, the MAC Selena collection; the Forever 21 x Selena clothing line; Fiesta medals; Selena-inspired donuts; the Fiesta de la Flor Festival (of years past); H-E-B bags or gas-station cups bearing the multi-talented singer's face; the biographical drama that catapulted Jennifer Lopez to fame; the legacy of love and kindness she left behind or simply the masses of fans that continue to honor her today, it's clear that Selena's impact was monumental.
For more on the singer's life and legacy, listen to the Selena podcast here.
More information on the course being offered at UTSA is expected in the coming days. This article will be updated as that information becomes available.