MinerAlert
MinerAlert
July 2025
By Sandra Ramirez '08, '21
One of the most memorable scenes from the 1997 film Selena features the Quintanilla family’s bus, affectionately known as “Big Bertha,” breaking down on a desert road. Two young Chicanos offer to tow the bus with their lowrider, but the weight of the bus rips the rear bumper off their classic car.
In the scene, Selena and her brother A.B. Quintanilla apologize and offer to replace the bumper, but the young men refuse. Instead, the driver describes plans to create a shrine, complete with a sign reading: “This bumper was pulled off by the bus of Selenas. Anything for Selenas.”
Most Selena fans can — and do — recite the scene word for word.
In what seems to be an ode to Selena and her fans, journalist and borderland native Maria Garcia ’08, released the Anything for Selena podcast in 2021. The show takes listeners on a journey through the life of the late singer while exploring themes of identity, language and belonging.
The podcast was named to the Apple Podcast Series Essentials list, and Garcia was recognized as Podcast Newcomer of the Year in 2021 by Apple Podcasts. She was also featured on the "Podcast Creators We Love" list.
“It was really cool to be featured on that, especially because I think for some time there was this misconception that Latino podcasts were niche, and that we didn't make a big impact in mainstream podcasting — but we've proven that's a misconception,” Garcia said.
The critically acclaimed podcast has been featured in The Atlantic, Vulture, The New Yorker, Time and Vogue.
As the podcast’s writer and host, Garcia said she hoped the show would be well-received but explained that commercial success is not her primary motivation.
“I'm not really focused on if it will be a commercial success or not,” she said. “I'm more focused on: Is it honest? Is it real? Is it saying something that is revealing about being human right now in this moment? And if it is, then people will recognize themselves in it, and the work will speak for itself.”
Throughout the podcast, Garcia explores her own sense of belonging across various contexts, while examining intimate aspects of Selena’s life — from her relationship with her father to her use of Spanglish, and even her body image (Episode 4: “Big Butt Politics”).
Garcia earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic media from The University of Texas at El Paso, then pursued a master’s degree at Columbia University. She said both experiences were equally impactful, while crediting her time at UTEP as identity-forming.
“Going to UTEP exposed me to Chicano history, Chicano language, Chicano aesthetics, and for the first time in my life, I felt truly seen,” Garcia said. “I really understood that I came from a cultural lineage that was beautiful and impactful. I took the lessons from that with me for the rest of my career. I would say that UTEP was as identity-forming as Columbia [University] was. It gave me a sense of belonging that I had never experienced, and that was revolutionary.”
Garcia also released the El Divo podcast in 2024, based on the life and legacy of singer Juan Gabriel. The show includes new, revealing details about the artist’s life and is the first Apple Original Podcast produced in both English and Spanish.