Ximena Hidalgo grew up in Maracay, Venezuela, watching the journalists who bravely reported stories while they faced censorship, threats, and even bodily harm under the authoritarian government of Hugo Chavez.
“I admired the way they did the job under duress,” she said. It was then that her passion for journalism was born.
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Now, Hidalgo, a senior studying broadcast journalism and film at the University of Miami School of Communication, is the president of the University’s first student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). The NAHJ student chapter is one of many campus-based chapters across the nation affiliated with the national organization.
Each of the 33 chapters attracts future journalists in various colleges and universities and provide opportunities for networking, mentorship, training, and career preparation.
It took Hidalgo a year, working with veteran broadcast journalist Antonio Mora, associate professor of professional practice and the Frances L. Wolfson Chair in communication, to establish the chapter, which now has 20 members. The NAHJ chapter accepts any member and is not limited to any ethnicity, she said.
“We want to provide all the resources the organization has to offer to any aspiring journalists,” she said. “It makes sense that we would have one chapter at UM given that Miami is so uniquely situated and has one of the largest Hispanic populations.”
Mora added: “NAHJ gives student members a wide range of benefits that help them develop careers in journalism. It provides scholarships, internship opportunities, professional workshops, and networking events where they can meet practicing journalists who can serve as mentors for them and help them get jobs and internships.”
Last month, the University chapter held its first event at the Bill Cosford Cinema. Called “Latino Trailblazers in English-Language Broadcast Journalism,” the event featured Jackie Nespral, NBC 6 anchor and “Weekend Today” host and a proud alumna; José Díaz-Balart, “NBC Nightly News Saturday” and Telemundo anchor; and Louis Aguirre, Local 10 anchor and former “Fox and Friends” host. Mora also contributed to the event. He was a former “Good Morning America” news anchor.
In the discussion, all the participants emphasized the need for future students to be prepared, be ready to take opportunities that come their way, pursue internships, and be ready to work hard.
“Working really hard will eventually pay off,” said Nespral.
Being bilingual in Miami is always an advantage, they said. But their Spanish must be impeccable because the competition is fierce, they said.
For Christopher Perez, a senior and vice president of the NAHJ student chapter, the event proved extremely valuable.
“When they talked about needing perfect Spanish to work in Spanish media, I felt that was really valuable,” he said. “It made it clear to students that you cannot make it with a mediocre amount of Spanish.”
Hidalgo was impressed by something Díaz-Balart said: “Remember that we all carry with us the yoke of our childhood.”
That reminded her of all the relatives who helped raise her in Venezuela. They instilled in her values and gave her their love and support throughout her upbringing. She tries to keep that in mind as she works every day to become a better journalist, she said.
“Bringing together the most successful ‘crossover’ broadcast journalists was a great way to launch the new NAHJ University of Miami chapter,” Mora said of the event. He added that the event took place thanks to the Department of Journalism and Media Management and the Robert Corley Groves Speaker Series.
“We hope to have other similar events with great guests in the future,” he said.
Each NAHJ student chapter is independent and holds its own activities. Other Florida schools that have NAHJ chapters are Florida International University and the University of Florida.
Hidalgo hopes that the next semester the group can create and offer several workshops, including how to write an effective resume to attract employers and how to best create video reels that will stand out and get applicants noticed.
Learn more about student organizations affiliated with the School of Communication.
