You might have seen this guy around campus and probably thought that he might just have to be one of the most adorable people in all of Colegio. Meet Emmanuel Gil Minguela, also known as “Mingui,” a Political Sciences senior who shares an immense passion for music and is the literal campus cutie.
Music has been very important for Emmanuel. Though he admitted to not be interested in it before the age of 15, when he saw his little brother learning to play the guitar, he got motivated to learn as well. “My brother and his friend started talking about having a band and I wanted to join,” he said. So for his sixteenth birthday, he was gifted his very first bass and was one step closer to make the dream of having a musical band a reality. On August 2014, this dream came true when The Poet emerged. The Poet consists of five members (Ricardo Díaz [lead singer], Edward González [drummer], Alexavier Gil and Adrian Gotay [guitarists], and Mingui [bassist]) and they play alternative metal music. The band has two music videos, “Beautiful Minds” and “Go The Distance,” which is a cover from the popular song from Disney’s Hercules. He expressed that his band “is a way we found to express ourselves through music and, at the same time, to show people we can do something good for society.” They say music is good for the soul and that couldn’t be more spot-on, especially for Mingui, because he finds music to be liberating. Whenever he’s playing music, he doesn’t need anything else, he feels happy and is also making others feel the same.
Photo credit: Fran Casillas
For a lot of students, deciding what to major in college can be stressful and sometimes make mistakes when choosing; this was the case with Emmanuel. Mingui shared how he wanted to study Sound Engineering but couldn’t do so due to economic reasons. When it was time to pick a major, he chose the science path and was accepted into Colegio’s Chemistry Department. “The only reason why I chose to study Chemistry was because some family members were inducing this pressure on me to become a doctor,” he expressed. Most of us can relate to this situation, but Mingui discovered this wasn’t his calling and finally found a major which he liked; politics. “Politics is really important; it’s in everything; even in music. I can use some of my knowledge about it to help me with my music career and other people’s careers in music,” Mingui said, but, “different theories and ideologies, that’s what I really like about it.” For some this might sound like a weird combination, but for him it’s the perfect way to mix what he’s most passionate about -music-, with an area of study he really likes. Even if at the beginning of his college days, it seemed as if his choice had been a complete mistake, Mingui took it as an advantage to explore around different majors and discover a field that satisfied him and, at the same time, complimented his fondness towards the art of music.
Aside from making music and studying Political Science, Mingui also works with Radio Colegial, our university’s radio station. Currently he’s the station’s president and his brother is the general coordinator. Radio Colegial has been giving him tons of experience for his future career. “I see myself working on this [radio], I already have the experience,” he shared, “I like arts and communication and, also, working at a radio station [in the future] can help me promote music from now-a-days.” Emmanuel also belongs to the oldest theater association at Colegio, TeatRUM. He wasn’t involved with TeatRUM until his junior year, when one of his friends invited him for “Gulemberías” and convinced him to participate at the “Show de Prepas.” Since then, he has been part of this theater family and had one of the best experiences of his life when starting in the play “Los Cocorocos,” directed by Comparative Literature graduate and former “TeatRUMita,” Nivia Toro. It is clear, Mingui loves to perform; it is a way in which he can express himself, through performances that come from the heart and soul, giving it all his best.
Emmanuel “Mingui” Gil Minguela is a true campus cutie and campus celebrity, but most importantly, a true musician. He is an example of how to never give up on your dreams and make them a reality because if one has goals and has the mindset to achieve them, one can do it. If one is passionate about something, never quit. One might make a mistake along the way but, just as he did, one can use it as an opportunity to explore the options that surround us and, somehow, find a way through. Mingui’s band The Poet keeps succeeding, they just signed a contract with Defiled Management and, just this past Tuesday, released their second music video which was directed and filmed by Fran Casillas; and just as the band is moving forward, so is he. The Her Campus UPRM wishes him, and his bandmates, the best with their musical careers. If you can dream it, you can achieve it!
Photo credit: Juan Santo