The Magnet

Treasure is more than just a wooden box full of gold. We all have something we treasure, whether it be a physical object, an emotion, an idea, or a relationship. Our treasures give our lives meaning and shape our perspective of the world.

Treasure is everywhere, and it can take many forms. Treasure is the people you love. It’s the sun shining through a window. It’s a safe place to sleep. It’s a smile, stretching across your face. Treasure is a memory from your childhood, or a family heirloom, passed down through generations. It’s the objects you associate with your life, even if you have to leave them behind. It’s the breath that enters your lungs every time you breathe. It’s the everyday moments, the things we cling to in a fast-paced world. And sometimes, the treasure really is the things we learned along the way.

I hope that you enjoy reading this year’s edition of The Magnet.

Every piece you’ll find in these pages—whether literature, art, or photography—is rich with depth, intention, and meaning and is the product of months of careful labor. I am so incredibly proud of the wonderful team of artists and writers who have come together to make this year’s magazine. They are the true treasures of this magazine. So, dear reader, I urge you to take the time to enjoy each piece, because it’s my treasure, and the treasure of our whole staff, to share our work with you.

Wander is a calling—a tug at the soul to move, explore, and discover. It is the instinct that whispers that there is more, even when we don’t quite know what we’re searching for. To wander is to surrender to curiosity, to follow winding paths, and to let go of what we know to be changed by the journey to come.

Wander is the wind that tousles your hair and tells you to keep walking. It is the stars you chase on long drives with zero destinations. It is the feeling of standing still while the world spins around you, and the shocking realization that you are a part of something vast and unpredictable. It is a compass with no true north, and a map inked with places that only exist once you arrive. Wander is not aimless. It is brave; it is stepping into the unknown, into solitude, into wonder. It is the freedom to lose yourself and then trust that you will be found again. It is the quiet moments between destinations—coffee shops, a new city, the airport gate at 3 a.m. Wander is the ache of homesickness, and the thrill of independence wrapped into one.

In these pages, you’ll find voices that drift and soar, that seek and search. Art and stories that embody the restless magic and movement of wandering. These pieces are the footprints of those who dared to explore the world, both within and around them.

I am endlessly proud of the creators who poured their vulnerability into this edition. Their imagination, hearts, and resilience shine through every word, brushstroke, and pen mark. The Magnet is more than a magazine—it is a journey. It is learning to explore where your two feet stand, and the path beyond that.

May it stir in you the urge to wander.

Growth is an all-encompassing lifelong phenomenon. Each and every person reading this edition of The Magnet has experienced growth and will continue to experience growth for the rest of their lives. Without growth we do not learn, and we do not become the people we are meant to become.

Growth is a seed buried deep in the earth, "reaching for beams of warmth." It is a flower that blooms despite its surroundings. Growth is our awareness of the little things around us gently correcting us as we walk through life. Growth is "a symbol of strength." It swallows you whole, a heavy burden, a vine choking out life for its own sake. Growth is a journey, it is leaving your comfort zone, leaving your home and going into unknown territory with cardboard boxes at your side. Growth is like the changing of fall leaves, it may be disguised as death, but it is necessary for life. Growth is sometimes "confined in concrete boxes" and other times it is natural, it takes place whether we want it to or not. It is in the trees and the leaves and the flowers and the birds. Growth is the different seasons of life which we go through, a toddling child, an awkward adolescent, a bright blossoming young adult, and a wise sage who has gained wisdom through the life that they have lived, the experiences through which they have grown. Growth is looking back at the past and reminiscing on what once was. Growth is intimidating, it is scary, but it is healthy. Growth is within each of us, in our hearts, our brains, our self.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this year's edition. Each piece of writing and art is filled with emotion and depth. I am beyond impressed by the excellence that this group of students has produced. I am also extremely proud of my writers and all the hard work that they have done as well as how supportive they have been of each other as they have collaborated and edited each other's pieces. This little book is a labor of love, and I am thrilled to share it with you!

Diversity exists in our experiences, our perceptions, our traumas, our religions, our passions, our perspectives, our relationships, our friendships, our families, our ethnicities, our opinions, and in our everyday interactions. Each creative piece displays a different type of diversity, and we hope that this edition of the magazine will help people see why diversity is valuable and necessary in every aspect of life. It helps us grow, learn, and understand the world around us in a new way. It also fosters compassion, love, and peaceful coexistence in a world where differences tend to divide us. The acceptance and encouragement of diversity will lead the world to a joyful, safe, and bright future.

Diversity is the ways in which we learn to love someone broken, the ways we grow from walking through fire, and the ways we run from our fears. Diversity is being a first-generation college student dealing with anxiety. Diversity is having a unique family with unique traditions. Diversity is the special thing that gives each person a passion and a purpose and a joy all their own. It is the spaces in which we find peace and contentment. Diversity is being diagnosed with a disease, being born with skin with patches of different colors. Diversity is every different story of immigration, of creating a new home and a new dream. Diversity is the stories we grow up with and the stories of the people who are different than us. Diversity is strength in the face of adversity. Diversity is learning to be inclusive and learning to find the soul-colors that form who you are. Diversity is how we experience trauma and how a group of friends love each other because of their differences. Diversity is openness and vulnerability and hope. Diversity is infinite, fluid, everywhere.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition and consider how the heart of each piece beats with a little life from every writer, every artist. Everyone has created sensitive pieces that sit close to their heart; I ask that you encourage them to continue to be vulnerable and open in their art: everyone needs to hear what they have to say.

Working with this diverse team of seniors and juniors has been the greatest joy-ride. When we first started this journey, we weren't sure where to begin.

We had so many questions like, “How do we make a magazine? Who do we talk to? Do you think the Times will answer us?” One of the few things we did know was our theme, Home.

We recently moved into our new campus, which was the high-light of our semester. While we loved the feeling of the new campus combined with the fresh air and drinkable water, there were many aspects we missed from the old building.

With this big move from our original home to our new home, we dug deeper into what home actually means to each of us.

On the cover, you notice the planet Earth takes the form of a human heart, which symbolizes the prominent phrase “Home is where the heart is.” The world, the continent, the country, the state, the city, all correspond to our meaning of home; however, within each contains a different story that composes who we are as individuals.

To me, home is where the aroma of freshly rolled flour tortillas and bean tacos in a brown paper bag fill the air. It's where I can hide away from anything and everything, and where the background noises are constantly filled with my siblings playing some kind of made-up game or my mom playing Tejano classics.

While this is my version of home, The Storybook is a representation of our members through viewpoints in art and literature. We hope you enjoy this inaugural edition!