(Courtesy photo/TKO)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
It’s fitting that the interior of the 484th District Courtroom inside the Darrell Hester Juvenile Justice Center in San Benito now has a storybook presentation with a kaleidoscope of colors that signifies changes in patterns, or in this case behavioral changes for its target audience — children and their loved ones.
Those associated with the “Aurelia Star” project realized that bullying and the lack of acknowledging its presence and effects was at the center of who it was named after — Aurelia Star Dosal Ramirez.
The Harlingen teenager took her own life at the tender age of 13 after she continued to be the target of online bullying. She died May 28, 2022.
More than two years later, the Aurelia Star project came to fruition during an Oct. 24 storybook unveiling inside Judge Adela Kowalski-Garza’s courtroom.
Leaders honored her memory through the lens of a children’s book, “TK’s First Lesson,” which was written by San Benito’s David Leija and illustrated by Stevie Cortez.
“The book’s title reflects its message—T stands for Tolerance, and K stands for Kindness. The story revolves around two tiger cubs, one with orange stripes and one with white stripes, who love each other like brothers,” Leija said. “One day, they see their reflections in a pond and realize their differences. Troubled by this, one cub tells his mother that his friend doesn’t look like him. The mother lovingly explains that just as all flowers in the garden are different in color but still beautiful and still flowers, their differences don’t matter.”
The book, which has 21 pages (22 including the cover), has much of its images illustrated on the judge’s courtroom wall — an endeavor Leija took part in.
The display is accompanied by two posters. One has an anti-bullying pledge and the other features the teen’s jubilant image while alive.
“I am deeply grateful for the incredible people who have come together with so much love and support for this cause. As a mother surviving the tragedy of losing her child, I could not ask for more,” Star’s mother,
Tiffany Ann Dosal, said. “When I received the invitation for this event from Judge Adela, I was completely taken by surprise. I never imagined such a remarkable turnout, nor did I know the extent of what they were planning in honor of my Aurelia Star.”
In a television news interview following her daughter’s death years ago, Tiffany said she didn’t fully comprehend to what extent the bullying reached, but there were signs that were exhibited, including withdrawal and changes in attitude. The zest for life also changed, Dosal said of her daughter.
Officials, including the judge, said they celebrated Aurelia’s life by spreading a message of tolerance and kindness, ensuring that her story lives on and reminding the community to treat others with compassion so that tragedies like hers won’t be repeated.
“The response from the public as well as the family and friends has been amazing,” Judge Kowalski-Garza said. “I believe this is the first time anything like this has been done, and it’s truly an honor to have taken on this project.”
The judge said she would like to have her courtroom available for field trips so Rio Grande Valley children may view what she described as a “beautiful memorial.”
Added Leija: “The bottom line is, if what we’ve done here can make one child tell themselves ‘not today, I do matter and I am important,’ it is worth every stroke of my pen and every stroke of Stevie Cortez’s brush.”
Mother Tiffany added, “I believe with all my heart that Star’s story will save lives—it already has. While it is too late for my child, it’s not too late for yours or for any other struggling child whose story you share. You may not realize it, but your child could be struggling with something they have never told you about.”
Among those who participated in the October dedication were Pastor Hector Perez, who gave the benediction and the members of his congregation.
Others in attendance were Las Comadres de las Américas; Angela Todd and Kathy Steadman from Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District; Jessica Gonzales of Rio Hondo, Sgt. Jesus Rosas, Jr., San Benito CISD Board Member Crystal Hernandez.
Star was born July 8, 2008, in Harlingen.
According to her obituary, those who survive her are father Cristofer Torres Jr.; brothers, Michael Hayden Ramirez and Gabriel Riley Ramirez; grandparents, Edio Jose Dosal, Olga Dosal Garcia, Robert Ramirez, and Martha Ruth McGuffin; aunts and uncles, ‘Aunt’ Joey, ‘Uncle’ Lena, and Uncle Edward Kowalski; Godmothers, ‘Nini’ Cheryl Ann Dosal and ‘Nina Kim’ Kimberly Ann Dosal Kowalski; cousins, ‘EJ’ Edio Jose Dosal, Esperanza Dosal, Madison Rose Kowalski, Zoe Jade Kowalski, Skarlett Priscilla Kowalski, Julianna Bryant, and Haiden Martinez; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, and friends.
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