RAMarkable TXWES Showing at 22nd Annual Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival!

Texas Wesleyan University capped off an eventful Hispanic Heritage Month by once again bringing its signature Ram spirit to Fort Worth’s Historic Northside for the 22nd Annual Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival, hosted by Artes de la Rosa Community Center for the Arts. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni from across campus joined in celebrating this cherished Mexican tradition honoring the lives of loved ones who have passed.

The TXWES contingent, comprised of Spanish and Bilingual Education majors; members of the Student Government Association (SGA), Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO), and Latinx Student Association (LSA); faculty from the School of Arts and Sciences (SOAS), alumni, and friends of the RAMily, was led by some twenty members of the baseball team and Coach Robert Garza, all sporting TXWES baseball jerseys and proudly bearing the TXWES standard. After having their faces painted à la Coco by Spanish majors Beatriz Sandoval, Daisy Muñoz, Vanessa Márquez, and Arianna Medina, the group fit right in, marching amid a vibrant procession of colorful catrines and catrinas (skeleton figures dressed in elegant attire), traditional dancers, mariachi bands, and community organizations.

Willie the Ram drew cheers and fist bumps from paradegoers, who were delighted to see him wearing a festive Día de los Muertos calavera mask custom-made by freshman Theatre major, Geovana Ortiz. Theatre Wesleyan’s own Joe Brown (aka “Pro Joe”) joined the parade in full catrín face paint and costume. A TXWES Facilities truck driven by Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, was decked out with papel picado, sugar skulls, tissue paper flowers in autumn colors, and three-dimensional monarch butterflies. The truck pulled the TXWES float, decorated in matching style and filled with waving students and alumni, while marchers handed out Mexican-style candy to excited onlookers along the route.

Following the parade, TXWES Spanish students and faculty, along with members of the SGA, LSA, and alumni volunteers, engaged with festivalgoers at Marine Park—chatting about the many benefits of attending Texas Wesleyan and inviting them to play cornhole for a chance to win TXWES swag.

Spanish Program Director Dr. Amy Bell reflected, “Each year, this parade and festival remind us that Día de los Muertos is not about mourning but about celebrating life as we foster connection with each other and with the community. It’s so gratifying to see how the TXWES team grows each year, involving more people and organizations from across campus. The RAMily is truly embracing the university’s core values, with diverse individuals and groups giving time, talent, and resources for the greater good. The best part is, we’re having a blast doing it.”

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who took part. ¡Que viva la RAMilia!