Interactive media coordinator Joshua Wilson is leaving his position at UTA to start his own company, working to program apps and games for entertainment and educational settings. While he’s excited for the next chapter of his career, Wilson said he will miss teaching and supporting his students. “I think leadership is support,” he said. “It’s not, ‘Look at me.’ It’s not narcissism, it’s just how do you help everybody achieve what they’re trying to do in the best way possible.” When he was hired at UTA, Wilson started teaching concept art and game design courses. Eventually, he worked with former cinematic arts coordinator Mark Clive, who taught animation courses, to form UTA’s interactive media program. “We coordinated all the time because we shared a lot of students and student interests, and the two of us thought that this was going to be a really good idea,” Wilson said. After Clive retired, Wilson met senior lecturer Benjamin Wagley, who took over the animation classes in cinematic arts, and the two collaborated to develop courses for the interactive media program. “Once those classes built up to a certain point, we did a bunch of research into what other programs were providing and how we could essentially stand apart from them but also just what we thought from our own philosophy on interactive media in general,” Wilson said. After looking into programs from various universities, the mountains of paperwork were filed and turned into what the interactive media program is today, he said. “It’s been a long road, but at the same time, it’s extremely rewarding,” Wagley said. “We’re one of the fastest-growing areas in art and art history. That’s in no small part because of the work that he put into it.” Wilson said because gaming and animation have a smaller workforce, he and Wagley reframed their courses. Many skills being taught in the classes were used in other creative industries, and instead of emphasizing gaming, they now focus on other subjects like interactive storytelling and programming. “It’s very beneficial to look at other industries and other job potentials, so that’s why we developed that philosophy, and it stands apart from a lot of the other programs that are out there,” he said. Wilson said the interactive media major received national accreditation at the beginning of the spring semester, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts is approved. He hopes that a Bachelor of Arts degree will soon follow. “We haven’t been able to advertise the program very well, but we are the second largest area in the department already, so we definitely have a lot of student interest in the program,” Wilson said. He used the start-up funds to build up the facilities used by students in the program, including 4K external monitors for laptops, 4K television sets and a new speaker system, he said. Students now also have reference materials like books to find inspiration for their projects and build their portfolios. Although the program doesn’t have a minor or an official graduate initiative, Wilson said he hopes interactive media continues to grow, and he’s excited to see students forge their own paths. “They have an amazing trajectory at the moment, and if they keep supporting it and obviously if students keep loving it, I think it has a pretty bright future,” Wilson said. Graduate student Kali McKinley said when she first came to UTA, she was excited to learn more about game creation before the interactive media program became official. She started taking classes with Wilson as he was developing the program. McKinley said she fell in love with the medium after taking animation, concept art and game design courses. “He did a wonderful job facilitating that growth, and he’s very knowledgeable in the field, so I was very thankful for all of the classes that I got to take with him,” she said. While she’s and many other students are sad to see Wilson leave UTA, she said she is excited about what he’ll do with his company. “It’s kind of a bittersweet thing,” she said. Wilson has always been dedicated to getting into the gaming industry, but as he applied and interviewed for jobs, he realized he didn’t want to take the traditional route in game design. “The thought of working on one project for like three to five years and being stuck working on one small part of it in a bigger company sounded so boring to me,” he said. Wilson said his studio already has many projects in preproduction, and he’ll continue to work on academic grants as an independent contractor to help others in the tenure process get the research they need to be successful. Other projects are focused on entertainment for mobile devices and consoles and educational apps. Wagley said he understands Wilson pursuing his own goals, but it’s still hard to let him go. “There’s definitely going to be a huge hole where he was, and the shoes that have to be filled are massive,” Wagley said. “I’ve truly appreciated the time that he and I have had to work together and to collaborate with each other.” news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Baylor University (23-13) snapped UTA baseball’s (13-20) five-game win streak 9-8 in extra innings Tuesday at Clay Gould Ballpark. After being tied 8-8 at the end of regulation, an RBI from Cortlan Castle, Baylor University senior catcher, made the difference in the game. The Mavericks couldn’t overcome the deficit in the 10th inning. Head coach Mike Trapasso said the team’s errors and missed plays ultimately led to the loss. “Every close game comes down to three or four, what I call, ‘crisis pitches,’” Trapasso said. “When you win the majority of those, you win the game. We just didn’t do that.” The Bears jumped to a fast start, scoring three runs on three hits in the first inning. However, the rest of the game was a back-and-forth affair. Heading into the bottom of the third inning, Baylor University led 4-3 until the Mavericks seemingly blew the game open with four runs. Tyce Armstrong, redshirt junior first baseman, led the way with a home run to tie the game at 4-4. Armstrong recorded three hits in four at-bats, contributing two runs. “This weekend I struggled a little bit. I wasn’t feeling myself. I came in yesterday and I just got in the lab and tried to fine tune things, start a little bit earlier and it helped tonight,” he said. Despite the Mavericks’ momentum, the team went scoreless for the next four innings, while the Bears took four unanswered runs in the seventh inning. UTA dug deep in the eighth inning to muster a run through a wild pitch from Baylor University, tying the game 8-8. With neither team able to score in the ninth, the game went into extras. In the top of the tenth inning, a throwing error by redshirt freshman pitcher Ty Zahradnik aided an unearned run for the Bears that was eventually the dagger. UTA left a man on base in the bottom of the inning, unable to capitalize and faltering the game. “I’m super confident that we’re a solid baseball team and we’re playing better,” Trapasso said. “Let’s just start another win streak. Conference is what really matters.” UTA will resume conference play, hosting Abilene Christian University for a three-game series starting 6 p.m. Thursday at Clay Gould Ballpark. The game will be streamed on Western Athletic Conference International. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The aromas of Twiggy’z Mangonadas y Mas fill The Park nearly every Wednesday afternoon. Situated between Trimble Hall and the UTA Planetarium, The Park hosts local food trucks weekly for students and staff to enjoy during lunch rush. While the university offers various dining options, Jennifer Lookenbill, Maverick Dining director of operations, compared the feeling to searching a fridge full of food and still finding “nothing to eat.” “When you see the same variety day in and day out, you almost become numb to what the offerings are,” Lookenbill said. Twiggy’z owner Frank Leija first brought his business to The Park last fall, quickly becoming a fan favorite. The business’ staples include elote with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, tacos, homemade marinated bistek, nachos and more. The name Twiggy’z is inspired by Leija’s 13-year-old daughter, whose nickname growing up was “Twigz” due to her petite frame. His logo incorporates a rainbow unicorn horn in place of the ‘i,’ another nod to his daughter, who loves the magical creature. Leija’s wife fell ill a few years ago, leaving her unable to work. This left the family in a difficult financial situation as they faced homelessness. In the midst of it, his daughter asked him for a snow cone machine. Leija said he purchased one off of eBay and got two deep freezers from Facebook. His children made cardboard signs displaying his phone number, and soon, the family was getting calls and selling $0.50 snow cones from their Dodge Caravan. “We were in neighborhoods, and then we were in taco shops, tire shops, warehouses. Then, going into that first year, we got our first party,” he said. Gaining momentum in their second year of business, COVID-19 caused traction to slow down as Leija got sick as well. Soon after getting up and running again nearly two years ago, the family lost their home to a fire. Close to being put out of the hotel they were staying at, a customer he catered a quinceañera for remembered his kindness and offered them a house for rent in Lancaster, Texas. Leija began working again, selling snow cones and tacos on an empty acre of land bordering the city and Red Oak, Texas. While working out there, Leija said a customer’s parents heard he was going through a rough patch and asked him to name three things he needed help with. Among the three wishes, he said he wanted a trailer. “About two weeks later he took me out to Tyler, Texas, to a ranch, and the trailer was sitting just rusted. No windows, no tires, animals living in it and trash all in it,” Leija said. “He said, ‘Can you do something with that?’ I was like, ‘Man, I told you, if I had a trailer, I’d be unstoppable.’” After taking the trailer to a body shop and adding Leija’s desires — three windows, a grill and a cooler — he said the rest is history. “It went beyond my expectations. Not in my wildest dreams I thought I’d be here,” Leija said, gesturing to the UTA campus. “When I got invited here, I’m still in awe.” Growing up with six brothers and two sisters, Leija said he spent a lot of time in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother when visiting México in the summer. Sharing his culture’s food with people from all walks of life and seeing them enjoy it is an amazing feeling, he said. “Not only you get to tell your friends, and they get to now experience what you grew up with or a delicacy for your culture,” Lookenbill said. “It’s fun because that’s building relationships. It’s building foundations. It’s building memories.” Molly Baggett, Maverick Dining marketing manager, said bringing food trucks of different cultures speaks to what UTA offers as a whole. With a stout international student population, bringing ethnic cuisine to campus allows university members to fully immerse themselves. Because the space used for The Park is small, Lookenbill said there can only be two food trucks at once. Though quickly becoming a weekly staple, she said they had to allow other businesses in the rotation. His first week absent from campus, Leija said he received around 60 messages from concerned UTA students. “The week we didn’t have Twiggy’z, it was a big uproar,” Lookenbill said. Support from the UTA community has been intense, but Leija said he couldn’t ask for more. “I just thank everybody, thank them all from the bottom of my heart,” Leija said. “My family, my kids, we all pray together. We say ‘Thank you.’ We’re beyond blessed to have y’all.” @hjgarcia0 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu