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The East Texan E tra Texas A&M University - Commerce Fall 2019
Blue & Gold gives back to the community By Ambrasha Williams Operation Blue and Gold is a day of service for students, faculty and staff to give back to the Commerce community. While giving back is the goal of this program, Operation Blue and Gold also provides community service and leadership opportunities for the students at Texas A&M University- Commerce. “We provide leadership opportunities for our students through this event,” Katy Williams, assistant director of intercultural engagement and leadership, said. “We have site leaders and an event committee that helps plan and organize the day of an event and its festivities.” Operation Blue and Gold has organized 25 events in the Commerce community with more than 200 volunteers participating. “We’ve sent volunteers to the Twin Oaks farm, we sent students to the Lion’s Food Pantry and also the Lion’s Wardrobe and more,” Williams said. The program focuses on both the university and the city. “I think it’s pretty important because you don’t really see a lot of that happening especially when it comes to helping out the Commerce community,” Robert Segura, student assistant and Operation Blue and Gold volunteer, said. The students are active members in the community. “Our students aren’t just people that want to stay inside and not
do anything with our community, they actually want to get out and get to meet people and see the great things that commerce has to offer,” Williams said. Operation Blue and Gold started about four years ago by a graduate assistant in the office of Intercultural Engagement and Leadership which was previously known as the Leadership Engagement and Development office. “It is slightly modeled after a big event which is a day of service program that was started by A&M-College Station and it’s been adopted by multiple universities across the country,” Williams said While this program is always successful in putting on events, there are still some obstacles that the students, faculty and staff occasionally have to face. “You know some people will sign up and it’ll be a huge amount of people but when the day comes, half of those people probably won’t show up,” Segura said. Despite the challenges that Operation Blue and Gold sometimes experiences, there are still people who are dedicated to making the program flourish. “What makes it unique is that it’s just a really huge opportunity to get everyone together to strive for that one purpose of being helpful,” Segura said. Students, faculty and staff can get involved by signing up through their new website at tamuc.givepulse.com.
Kim’s serves students, community Rootz - ‘life’s a donut at a time for 17 years events from
beginning to end’
By Brandon Ballard Kim’s Donuts, a familyowned doughnut and breakfast shop at 1501 Live Oak, in Commerce, has been serving up doughnuts at this location for 17 years. Prior to opening the store in Commerce, the Kim family operated a donut shop in Dallas from 1993 until the move to Commerce in 2003. Kim’s Donuts is popular among college students due to its convenient proximity to the campus, making it easy for students to walk to the shop before or between classes. “The college makes this location great,” Jung Park, head cashier and donut maker, said. “We see lots of students every The East Texan Extra is produced by Multimedia Journalism students during the Fall 2019 semester. All content is the responsibility of the students. Staff: Brandon Ballard, Janae Blocker, Ty Brown, Kolby Cowart, Evans Dennis, Jazzlyn Enbysk,
By Evans Dennis Rootz Flower & Design, at 1215 Alamo St. in Commerce and owned by Suzanne and Yogi Patel, is consider a local florist serving all of life’s events from beginning to end.
morning.” Kim’s makes a variety of doughnuts fresh every morning as well as serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches, sausage rolls and egg rolls. The store stays open all week opening at 4:30 a.m. every morning and staying open until 1 p.m. Mayson Hausler, Jahonna Hinds, Andrew Ivery, Cameron Justice, Diamond Larry, Morgan Mouton, Kehinde-Ayobami Olayiwola, Lindsey Wiley, Ambrasha Williams, Chaum Young.
The inspiration behind the unique name is serving life’s events and Rootz is there for celebrations, appreciations, apologies, and when you are feeling blue. Employee Diane Lewis said, “It’s important that we send beautiful flowers and creations God has made and share it with the communities.” Suzanne has dreamed of having her own florist shop for quite some time and has been making arrangements since the 1990s. However, now that dream has become a reality - owning her own shop in downtown Commerce. The shop name has a unique meaning with the motto, “We are a part of your history. We are a part of your Rootz,” which means a lot to Commerce. Rootz delivers in Commerce and surrounding cities. Their flower arrangements can also been seen around town including Mugs Coffee Shop and other places around the city. Why she wanted to open the shop, Suzanne said, “Our goal is to bring smiles to the faces of the community and give encouragement anyway we can.”
The East Texan Extra
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Texas A&M University - Commerce
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Fall 2019
Breakfast is served daily at Omega’s By Chaun Young
Omega’s Biscuits N Eggs opened in September 2015 in Commerce across the street from the Honors College residence halls serving breakfast all day plus more. Other entrees served include steak, meatloaf, chicken strips, burgers, tacos, and more plus daily specials between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. “None of this would be possible without mom and dad,” Julio Martinez, manager of Omegas, said.
business what it is today.”
Omegas Biscuits N Eggs is owned by the Martinez family - Julio, his father, mother, and brother Juju.
Julio said he doesn’t know what he would have done had he not become more involved in his parent’s business.
Julio said he and his family came to the U.S. when he was 13 and grew up in Dallas.
“I tried college and it didn’t work for me,” Julio said. “I was always seen as the problem solver-solver in my family. We are here to lift up boundaries and inspire the company.”
He said the restaurant was initially opened in Deep Ellum called “Omega s Café,” but closed after 13 years. A new Omegas was opened in Commerce and Julio said his parents “lived, slept, and breathed the business.” He added, “It was mom’s ambition and papa’s heart that made this
He added, “We try to cater to students, but we want to include everyone. We treat everyone with the same respect whether you’re from the university or the city. Just like the university has their own identity, Omegas wants to have their own identity.”
KKOM
Fashionable finds at 2-11 By Jazzlyn Enbysk
Two Eleven Boutique opened it doors Nov. 1, 2015 and has been providing the Commerce community with fashionable finds ever since. Erin McKee, founder and owner of the boutique on the Downtown square, originally opened in the Live Oak shopping plaza before re-locating two years ago. McKee was doing the online marketing and branding for another boutique in the plaza at the time, but when the owners needed to sell the business, they reached out the Mckee asking if she would be interested in buying and rebranding the store. She agreed, and four years later has successfully grown the business. Concerning the name Two Eleven, McKee said, “It my husband’s [Tod] birthday. He was the one who helped me put it together and has been supportive of this idea since the beginning. I couldn’t have done it without him.” It is actually a happy coincidence that the store’s anniversary and McKee’s husband’s birthday fall around the same time each year. Also for the last three years around the same time, the boutique has been participating in an annual fashion show with Mugs in downtown Commerce to benefit the Commerce Lil’ Angels organization and raise money for Christmas presents given to underprivileged children and families in the Commerce community. “I have been so grateful for what this community has done for me, and I love being able to give back and do what I can in a fun way,” she said. The fashion show has also been a way for her to showcase her Fall/Winter stock and special Christmas deals to the customers in an interesting way, giving the customers a chance to view what will be on sale for the colder months and the option to view how the products wear before purchase. McKee also noted that the good thing about owning a boutique is that every shopping experience is personal to the shopper and is almost like having a personal stylist, noting that the shop will often have people message their Instagram account and ask them to put products showcased on their socials on hold. It a mix of online and traditional shopping, and helps to build a regular following for the store. As for the future of Two Eleven, McKee is looking to open a second location within the next year on the Downtown Square in McKinney, with longtime employee and McKinney local, Taylor Diamond, as the owner and manager. McKee also hopes to expand her online brand and create an online boutique for her store.
All talk campus radio station provides experience for students By Ambrasha Williams
The student-run radio station KKOM, is designed to give students the opportunity to gain experience in radio operation, however, until the station obtains a music license, only talk radio will be broadcast. “Right now we’re doing talk until we can figure out what’s up with licensing,” Adrian Neely, assistant professor, said. KKOM has been around for more than 40 years with students gaining experience with KKOM and NPR-affiliate radio station KETR.
“..a strong radio station...promotes the program.” - Adrian Neely
“Dr. Robert Sanders started KKOM and almost in conjunction with KETR going on the air in 1975,” Dr. John Mark Dempsey, associate professor, said. “Students would get their beginning experience on KKOM and then they would advance to working on KETR.” There are several factors that contribute to running a successful radio station. Dedication, involvement and content all determine how a radio station is operated on a daily basis. “You have to have people who show up when they are supposed to show up,” Dempsey said. It’s important to “know what you’re doing, be good on air and have content that people want to hear,” Neely said. Having a student-run campus radio station is important for students aspiring to pursue a career in radio, the program itself and for the other students on campus. “It’s mainly important to give students who are interested in a career in broadcasting experience,” Dempsey said. “I think if you have a strong radio station it kind of promotes the program,” Neely said.