Hispanic Heritage Month: Michael Aguilar

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - On the surface it appears he brings people together on campus and out in the community.

However, this modest music man says otherwise. “I consider myself an introvert. I’m very, I don’t like to be out there.... It is nice to to be a part of something that is bigger than myself.”

Perhaps that is why Waco native Michael Aguilar joined an organization with a big mission early on.

He started out as a Cub, then a Boy, and later rose to become an Eagle scout. His big project was to build a pavilion for Richfield Christian Church.

It was a team effort involving his fellow scouts and people and business owners in the community who supplied the lumber, galvanized metal, concrete, and manpower.

The space was named in honor of a woman named Rachel Moffitt. It’s unclear why this person is being remembered in this space.

But her name appears on a plaque at the top of the structure along with Michael’s name and eagle scout troop, and a bible verse Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”

Aguilar said, “You know we talk about sustainability, leaving your legacy and leaving your mark. And I don’t necessarily look at it as my name is going to be here forever, and I did that. But it’s more of a memory for me, you know. I mean, I built this thing to last, you know, an earthquake, hopefully. But it’s more of just knowing that for this particular period in my life, I had a bunch of people here in this place helping me put this together.”

The Waco High School graduate became the first member of his family to attend college. At Baylor he studies Photojournalism.

As a freshman, he helped found the Mariachi Osos Dorados at Baylor University where he plays the guitar.

He said, the group has performed at Baylor thanksgiving events, on the fountain mall, and even at the San Antonio Spurs arena, the Frost Bank Center.

“Music brings people together. And if I’m being honest, when I first started playing with Mariachi, playing these songs that I knew but I didn’t really know, I just heard of them, I didn’t understand what the lyrics were, what they meant, what the guy was singing about or what the girl was singing about. But I think being a part of the Mariachi and just rehearsing the songs so much and playing these songs for people and really seeing the emotion and I guess the impact these songs have on people and through culture really warms my heart. I think it’s really beautiful.”

He is also part of the Baylor Golden Wave marching band where he plays the trumpet.

Most recently, Aguilar became the photo editor for the Baylor Lariat, a student-run newspaper. His love for photography, he said, comes from his mother.

“Growing up, she always had that camera, and she was always pointing it in my face. And I always rolled my eyes and scoffed, ‘here she goes with the camera.’ But now, as I’ve gotten older, you really start to appreciate the moment that a photo can take you back to.”

Taking you back to a place where you can be proud of how far you have come. Michael Aguilar is one of the many reasons, KWTX Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month.

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