Piñatas go on parade…DMC student club enters redesigned donkey-shaped piñata, wins second place as part of competition and fundraiser supporting Día de los Muertos Festival
DMC Architecture and Construction Technology Club’s “Donktropolis” features architectural remake of piñata that shows off skills learned in the classroom
Article by Mleinda Eddleman
The piñata has a name, “Donktropolis,” and a backstory that describes the reasoning for its redesign. The donkey-shaped re-creation is the work of Del Mar College students with the Architecture and Construction Technology (ACT) Club with members hoping to win the top prize as part of the Piñatas on Parade competition held to support Corpus Christi’s annual Día de los Muertos Festival.
The Architectural/Drafting Technology students who worked on the piñata include Makayla Anderson, Lauren De La Garza, Crystal LeBlanc, Priscilla Mulhorn, Karalee Pena and Amari Washington.
During an Oct. 13 kick-off party held by K Space Contemporary and other organizers at La Palmera Mall to announce the winners, open bidding to raise more funds and start online voting for the People’s Choice Awards, DMC representatives learned the club earned second place and a $150 gift card.
The ACT Club now has another chance to win. Online public voting for the People’s Choice Award is now open through Oct. 23 at app.jotform.com/262734720642153.
Participants can view the 18 piñatas entered in the Superheroes Unite-themed competition by visiting the corridor entryway just outside of J.C. Penny inside La Palmera Mall (5488 S. Padre Island Dr., 78411). On display until Oct. 25, Piñatas on Parade is presented by the mall and the Coastal Bend Association of Realtors® Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and the piñatas are up for bids to raise more funds beyond the entry fees each organization paid to participate. The auction closes at 11:55 p.m. on Oct. 23.
The ACT Cub’s $150 entry fee was generously and personally covered by Russell Franques, who serves as treasurer for the DMC Foundation’s Board of Trustees and is a partner with Highpoint Wealth Advisors.
The piñata features unique architectural design elements that demonstrate the skills that DMC’s Architectural/Drafting majors learn in the classroom.
As a community service project for the club, DMC Associate Professor of Architectural/Drafting Technology Brad Eilering says, “Our students are learning first-hand the importance of service to the public and the advancement of their careers in architecture and the construction industry.”
The piñata features unique architectural design elements that demonstrate the skills that DMC’s Architectural/Drafting majors learn in the classroom
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