My Experience with Borderbeat.net

Borderbeat.net has been an amazing publication to work for and be a part of. I decided to base my last blog around what being part of BorderBeat means to me and what I've learned.

My Favorite Memories...
St.Andrew's clinic was amazing as well, it will be somewhere I'll remember going for the rest of my life. As I graduate from U of A and continue my nursing career, I will never forget what I saw at the clinic. The poverty, side by side with the happiness. was humbling. While I used to complain about my out of season jeans, I found that there are people out there who are happy with thier lives even though they have much, much less. St.Andrews turned into life lesson that has changed me.

Also, the story on Cafe Poca Cosa was fun to do- beyond what St.Andrew's taught me, Cafe Poca Cosa showed me a lighter, enjoyable side to journalism. It was also my first media package and I was very proud of it!


Biggests Accomplishments...
Meeting as a group was never a drag, I'll say that much. Everyone in our class was hilarious, focused, and into creating a new look for the publication. Our website went from a student publication to professional and clean. Creating this "new look" was one of our greatest accomplishments because it reflects on us as individuals.

Challenges I faced...
We had to crank out a lot of stories to keep the publication fresh and interesting and that was tough. Taking 18 units, 15 of them upper division journalism, didn't help either. Copyediting was tough to because on top of the stories, I had to read a lot of articles and make sure they were publishable. However, I found out that I have to ability to push myself to the limit and not crumble, which I nice to knew before beginning my life as a "real" adult!

Advice to Journalists who aspire to write for online publications...
I have come to terms with technology! I respect it, and realize this is what journalism is going to be all about. If you don't know how to put together an online video, podcast, or slideshow, learn ASAP! It's very important to keep your computer skills up to speed, and not only to be able to create media packages but to be able to be the best media person available for your publication. I'm still learning and it has taken some time to become farmiliar with different programs in order to create media packages quickly. Learn, learn, learn! Media, media, media!!

All in all, I'm very proud to have helped create Borderbeat.net and keep it going for years to come!

Cleft Palates

One by one, they walk in the door, some smiling, some crying, some thankful, some frightened. They all have one thing in common: the need for help. One thing they don't have in common are similar disabilities.

After visiting the clinic, I researched the kind of work the doctors and volunteers do to help these children achieve a better quality of life. In 2006 the clinic offered it's services to over 2000 Mexican children and infants. Within those children there were 35 children needing cleft palate surgery.

Cleft palate occurs once every 600-800 births and is able to be fixed at birth with minor physical evidence a cleft palate was actually there. The children at St. Andrew's never got the chance to have the surgery at birth, so those who aren't infants have to go through a much more grueling process in order for their cleft palates to be fixed.

Symptoms of Cleft Palate are distinctive facial deformities, speech pronunciation and ability, and feeding problems (mainly for infants).

Some cleft palates are more severe than others, and the size of the cleft does not determine this. The location of the cleft indicates the long term impacts, such as the effect on speech.

Cleft palates are genetic but can also be caused by environmental factors. (More research is being done to connect these two).

Other Cleft Palate nonprofits:
Operation Smile

Cleft Palate Foundation

Watch a video about a young girl in Albequerqe whose cleft palate was able to be fixed at birth (many pictures of cleft palates in the video):

Pongratz Inc. at St. Andrew's Clinic

Pongratz Inc. is not only a business that provides medical care to all who ask for it, they give it to all who need it. Pongratz Inc. shows up once a month at St.Andrew's clinic in Nogales, AZ. to provide medical care to those who cannot afford health services or who cannot get to the places they need to access it. Pongratz Inc. has been volunteering their services at St. Andrews since 2001.

Pongratz Inc. doesn't only help provide medical care, they donate prosthetic and orthotic equipment which, normally, they would charge patients anywhere from $3,000-$12,000. They also bring thier lab to Nogales so that all follow up appointments from previous clinics can be performed at the same place.



One of the most common diseases that Pongratz aids to is Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is an "umbrella" term for a non-progressive, non-contagious disease that in most cases causes a physical disability. At St. Andrew's Clinic, Pongratz Prosthetics and Orthotics helps about 10-25 children a day with cerebral palsy fitting them with new and up-to-date medical equipment.

Pongratz Inc. also volunteers their services for Limbs 2 Life, a is a group designed to "help amputees realize their fullest potential".

Pongratz Inc. has three offices in Arizona:

Phoenix Office
2530 E. Thomas RD
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 222-3032

Mesa Office
641 W. Southern Ave
Mesa, AZ 85210
(602)222-3032

Tucson East
4520 E. Grant RD
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 322-4499
Map this location

Personal Experience of St. Andrew's Clinic

As a human you can't help but feel for the patients, the doctors, nurses and volunteers. However, as a journalist you couldn't have more stories and project ideas placed in front of you. Each story unique, each story has a personality, and each story can come alive through the right documentation.

I had an opportunity to report and document a day at St.Andrew's Children's Clinic in Nogales,Arizona. The clinic is put on once a month through donations and treats children who several different disabilities, diseases, or impairments.

When I first got there, I was very intimidated. Here I was, completely healthy and fortunate enough to afford the camera around my arm, let alone the contact lenses in my eyes. I'm a student, reporting on what goes on each first Thursday of the month, trying to capture the actions and emotions of everyone around me. Who was going to talk to me? Who could speak English? Who was I to try to talk to these people?

I thought I would start out with pictures- capturing the emotion on the camera would be my goal, then I could write about it later.Asking the parents to take pictures was the first obstacle for getting up close and personal. "Lo puedo tomar la foto?" I'm not even sure if that's right, but when I said it, the parents were only happy to accept my offer so that I could get up close and personal in order to tell a story.

I worked mostly in the orthopedic/prosthetics wing, closely with the doctors, patients and volunteers. I was told about certain conditions, like cerebral palsy, that kept children from being able to attain normal movement- mostly of the legs/feet. The doctors molded, shaved, and formed braces around the children's legs, ensuring a perfect fit. The faces of the children who were given treatment were unforgettable and completely humbling. Again, I was trying to be the journalist, get the story, tell it, and let those who read it choose their own emotions. However, I felt it impossible to stay emotionally detached.

From this experiences (described briefly in this blog) I was able to create three great stories as well as a slide show or two. The stories I created focused on odiology, orthopedics, and the motivation behind the volunteers who work there. This blog is only a small preview into what I'm about to put together along with my fellow journalists on Border beat.net. Check it out next week!