Journalism Camp: Meet The Fellows

The Hortencia Zavala Foundation (HZF) is proud to announce the inaugural class of Journalism Camp: covering race, ethnicity, and culture!

Jasmine Jones is a recent grad who studied Journalism with a Multimedia Concentration. “I love all things pertaining to News, Media, Fashion, Traveling, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and the list goes on,” she said. “I enjoy meeting new people and learning more about their backgrounds. Looking forward to our time together in camp!”

Diestefano Loma is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Chicago working in the education access space. Diestefano looks to support low-income, first-generation, and students of color and bring awareness to the disadvantages these students face when it comes to education in Chicago. A lifelong Chicagoan, he loves combining sports and storytelling, as well as studying the intersection between sports, race, culture, and politics. 

Yamila Martinez enjoys working with the community, especially the immigrant community in America. “I believe that every human has a story of success, failures, learning, and regrets,” she says. “I like to bring out stories to the public and contribute to making our society fairer.”

Stephania Rodriguez is a Depaul University student majoring in Journalism and minoring in Latinx Media and Communication. “I believe in providing more transparency in news and elevating voices in marginalized communities and telling their stories,” she said. “I hope to inspire women like me who might often feel like an imposter in their field or who might feel, because of their background, they don’t deserve a seat at the table of humanity.”

Daniela Sandoval is an aspiring journalist and storyteller from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. During her undergraduate career at the University of California, Los Angeles, she studied Comparative Literature and Spanish Community & Culture with a minor in Global Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys going to coffee shops, and hanging out with her dog, Bolita.

Boris Q’va is  a young, highly creative, Afro-Cuban Journalist with expertise in Sports, Race & Ethnicity, and Culture.  He’s a member of  the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) as well of the Society of Professional Journalists. Boris is a graduate from Full Sail University newest programs, “The Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting.” 

Too often conventional journalism dehumanizes communities of color and other marginalized groups with coverage that is biased, infrequent, and little connection with those groups of people.

Due to a lack of diversity and inclusion in newsrooms, there is an urgent need to train journalists to be transparent in news gathering and reporting on the complexity of racial identity, social constructs relating to ethnic terms, and cultural competence.

Covering race, ethnicity, and culture: a guideline for fair and accurate storytelling is a course designed to go beyond the inverted pyramid of basic news writing in examining the terminology, usage, and word choice of stories providing greater visibility and understanding of deep-rooted inequities in all aspects of society.

In the 12-week initiative Fellows will also get mentoring and hands-on experience in producing stories from concept to execution focused on social justice, determinants of health, and community empowerment.

Guest speakers will also share insights on networking with purpose, strategies in managing one’s career, and the experience of often being the only person of color in the newsroom.

The free virtual workshop will be led this Fall by award winning, news media veteran, and twice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)Hugo Balta. Balta is also the owner and publisher of the Latino News Networkand Associate Editor with The Chicago Reporter.

“The Journalism Camp is designed to go beyond the inverted pyramid of basic news writing in examining the terminology, usage, and word choice of stories providing greater visibility and understanding of deep-rooted inequities in all aspects of society”, said Balta.

The Hortencia Zavala Foundation, a supporter of Journalism and Communications students with invaluable scholarships since 2016 expands its mission by introducing its first ever mentoring program via the Journalism Camp.

The Journalism Camp sponsored by the HZF is a collaboration with LNN.


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