ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington High School senior Jainil Uribe’s homecoming mum was heavy.
“My neck was very sore the next day,” the 17-year-old said laughing.
But, the meaning behind Uribe’s mum carries even more weight.
“Whenever I look at my mum, I just see Mexico, because it's just so colorful, and that's how Mexico is,” Uribe said.
Uribe’s parents immigrated from Mexico over 20 years ago and made Arlington their home.
“They just wanted to give their family, whenever they did have one, a better life,” Uribe explained.
When it came time for the high school senior to design her mum for her September homecoming, she turned to family for inspiration.
Originally, Uribe said she was just going to make her mum white, purple, and sparkly. But her mother encouraged her to “do something special.”
After a couple of trips to an Oak Cliff store, Uribe’s Texas tradition came to life: Her beautifully created mum honors her Mexican heritage.
Sprinkled throughout her mum are dolls that remind Uribe of the ones her mother played with while growing up in Mexico.
The senior said the colorful, circular trim – called el serape, or the traditional blanket-like cloaks – ties her mum all together. And, if you look closely, you’ll see mini replicas of traditional cooking dishes, called cazuelas.
Uribe, who's on the drill team, wants to pursue a career in fashion. She hopes her latest design serves as inspiration.
“(Don’t) go off of what everybody else does. Just do something that you really love or enjoy as the theme,” Uribe encouraged.