In the Spring of 2010, the “real world” project I assigned was to design posters for the Peace of Art: Posters for Change exhibit and fundraiser. This was created by a former University of Texas at El Paso design student, Sandra Salas, to increase awareness of the extreme violence going on in Juárez at that time while raising funds for victimized families. Other local professional designers created posters, as did my students as part of this assignment. It was cathartic for these students

who still crossed the border everyday to get to class to express their binational experience through design. The posters of students Berenice Mendez, Jorge Calleja and Gabriel Basurta were very successful, all raising money through their sales and winning local and national design awards from the American Advertising Federation and recognition from the International Biennial of the Poster in Mexico City, Mexico. The exhibit also traveled across the country and internationally.