Eduardo Escamilla/THE RIDER
Channel4Cause officially launched “Stand Together,” a song created to raise awareness and funds for the more than 50 million refugee children worldwide, Feb. 2 at the Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus.
Channel4Cause is a “social enterprise that amplifies humanitarian causes by fusing media, art, and technology to drive campaigns that resonate and deliver real results,” according to its website.
The song, written by Michael Orland from American Idol and songwriters Judy Winger Quay and Brian Seth Hurst, features singers Bella Stine and biology sophomore Lea Jade García, along with a youth chorus from UTRGV and 12 students from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest High School.
The project also brought together a diverse crew of UTRGV theatre students to create something larger than life.
For García, the song became a bridge between her musical roots and a global cause.
She said she began singing when she was 4 years old and was recruited for the project by Francisco Loera, director of the UTRGV Mariachi Program. Despite her demanding academic schedule, García added she felt a deep responsibility to participate.
“I accepted because it’s something that I want to stand for,” she said. “I’m just thinking about, like, everything that those kids go through and, like, I want to bring awareness to it.”
The recording process was a solitary but emotional journey, García added.
She learned the lyrics on her own, never meeting her California-based duet partner, Stine, in person.
When she finally heard the finished track, García said the impact was immediate.
“It brought tears to my eyes because I’m so proud to be a part of something like this,” she said. “I just felt pride, rather than judging myself. … I loved everything I saw.”
Eduardo Escamilla/THE RIDER
While the song provides the emotional heartbeat, the visual story was crafted by a dedicated crew of UTRGV theatre students and alumni.
For many, like alumni Christopher Marmolejo, who served as a director of photography and lighting assistant, the project was a professional turning point.
The crew worked alongside industry professionals, including directors from New York, who provided what alumnus Ange Gonzalez, who served on the film as costume and makeup designer and script supervisor, described as a “culture shock.”
“A lot of our previous films … the norm, I guess, is kind of like, ‘Use your iPhone and here’s like, a Google Doc script,’” Gonzalez said. “And then, we get here, and I’m like, ‘Oh, we’re for real, for real. This is like, whoa, OK, I gotta lock in low-key.’”
The production took the students to various locations, including Sal Del Rey and the border wall itself.
Linda Chapman, a graduate student who served as an assistant director and cinematographer, noted the significance of collaboration.
“We’re using not just our voices, but our art to create the voice – show, don’t tell,” Chapman said.
Chapman, Gonzalez and Marmolejo added, using their art to highlight the reality of the Rio Grande Valley, they hope to challenge outside perspectives of their home. The Rider asked how the group would describe the film for the song they worked on to be released in a few weeks.
“I would describe it as unification through song and through goal without opposing conflict,” Marmolejo replied, “… This is a conversation and a project that’s about the people. It’s about the individuals, and it’s about humans.”
For the students involved, “Stand with Children” is more than a line on a resume; it is a declaration of pride in their community and their capabilities as artists.
“I genuinely feel that, like, if one of us makes it from the Valley, then, all of us do,” Gonzalez said. “I want to bring what I learned back down and help my community out… because I feel like, you know, this place is small, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s home.”
To learn more about the project, visit channel4cause.com.
Eduardo Escamilla/THE RIDER
