Small Town Girl Wins Big Wrestling State Title

The El Paso area was a true beast in the UIL wrestling tournament, which was held in Houston over the weekend. According to ABC-7, many student athletes won some major state titles. A huge congrats goes out to all the El Paso area athletes who came home with a win and even to those who just made it to the state tournament.

As a Fabens Alumni, I am ecstatic to see a fellow Wildcast win a state title. That wildcat is Marlene Avila, who won her first state title in the 110-pound division. In our small town of Fabens, our community comes together in amazing ways for our students. From the celebratory posts on social media, to the welcome home airport greeting, our community is showing the appreciation and respect Marlene and all student athletes truly deserved.

People like to joke about our little town and call it "ghetto" but Marlene's win is that hope for more small-town students to not fall into that stereotype. The Make Fabens Better Facebook page continues to share a glimpse into the hard work that went into Marlene achieving her dreams.

For those who say why aren't you talking about ALL the athletes? As I mentioned above, I am a proud Fabens alumni who takes so much pride in seeing a female athletes achieve something that wasn't appreciated when I was in high school or even when my parents were in high school. As more women begin to feel empowered in these times of change, Marlene is one of my local idols for female empowerment.

Women in sports isn't as highlighted or as appreciated as it should be and here's to hoping that will change. She is the start of a generation of empowerment in my local community and I thank her for that.