San Diego, CA

Opinion: Mexican is not a nationality, it’s a state of mind

Published

1 year ago

September 13, 2024

Opinion: Mexican is not a nationality, it’s a state of mind

When Costa Rican-born ranchera singer Chavela Vargas rose to international fame in the past century, she was asked in an interview if she was Mexican and she said yes. Immediately, reporters asked her how come she was Mexican if she was born in Costa Rica and her answer immortalized her. In a more folkloric way, she said that Mexicans are born wherever they want.

When someone asks me “Where are you from?” I tend to give a longer explanation than most people. I usually say, “I was born in San Diego, and raised in Tijuana,” because I have always felt like I am from both sides of the border, and because just like Chavela, I feel Mexican even if I wasn’t born there.

I am American because my parents decided to have my birth on the northern side of the border. According to them, the day after I was born, I was brought to Tijuana. (When recalling that story, my father remarks that no child seat was required to leave the hospital back then.)

And my case is not unique. In Tijuana and in other parts of the world, some families decide to pay to have birth deliveries in the United States. Just like Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila, who lives in Mexicali and decided to have her youngest child born in Imperial Valley in 2022.

During my school years, when Tijuana was a smaller city, I had classmates, friends and later in life even colleagues who were born on the northern side of the border. Some, like me, have decided to use their American nationality to work and others don’t.

These are not “anchor babies,” so please don’t even start arguing that. These are middle or high-income tourists who pay for a birth delivery service in a foreign country, and as long as they pay the hospital bill, there’s nothing illegal about it.

While American, being raised on Mexican soil had a powerful effect on me. During my younger years, I went to school in Mexican classrooms, traveled around many Mexican cities and fell in love with the culture of my parents and ancestors. Back then, I was convinced that I was Mexican, because my skin gets goosebumps while listening to the “Mexican National Anthem” the same way that it does with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

When I became the mother of an American boy in 2012, I made a big effort to raise him bilingual and I even moved back to Tijuana to enroll him in a Mexican school for four years. I feel proud when I see that he is fluent in English and Spanish, and ashamed when he tells me of the racial slurs he has been called by those who believe he is not American enough. Last year, he visited Mexico City for the first time and he quickly learned that just standing in front of the Zócalo in Plaza de la Constitución is one of the proudest moments for any Mexican.

Since he was a little boy, our favorite Mexican celebration is on Nov. 2 for Day of the Dead, and on Sept. 16, we have our second favorite Mexican celebration, Independence Day.

I usually watch the TV transmission from Mexico City and directly from the Zócalo plaza. We see when the president recreates “el grito,” or the shouting, that was the call that triggered Mexicans to start their independence fight against Spain’s crown in 1810 and then he rings the bell, just like the priest Miguel Hidalgo, the father of Mexican independence, did it in his church.

And without food our Mexican celebration wouldn’t be complete. That’s why I learned to make pozole, a classic Mexican dish, that transports me back home.

While neither my son nor I were born in Mexico, we know our Mexican heritage is there, in my food and in our souls. We both know we are connected with our roots because like Chavela makes clear, being Mexican is more than a nationality, it is also an attitude, a state of mind and a way of life.

¡Viva México!

Navarro is community opinion editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune. She is a transfronteriza who lives on both sides of the border.

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San Diego, CA

Joan Endres – San Diego Union-Tribune

Published

8 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Joan Endres

OBITUARY

Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.

Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.

In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.

Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.

As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.

Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).

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San Diego, CA

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

Published

20 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.

The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.

Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.

Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”

Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.

SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.

The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.

SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.

SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.

Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.

New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.

The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.

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San Diego, CA

Oregon State Dismantles San Diego 83-49

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.

Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games

The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.

The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.

Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout

Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.

The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.

Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game

It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.

Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU

There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.

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