Gente de NAHJ: An aspiring science reporter rediscovers her Latinidad
Sophie Rentschler, a proud member of this year’s student chapter of the year has connected with her cultura through the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
“I feel very deeply about this one, NAHJ was the reason that I really got passionate about being peruana because before, I had no idea that was something I could even be proud of,” Rentschler said.
She found it difficult to explore her Latinidad while growing up in Westerville, Ohio, a predominantly white community in the Midwest. But at the University of Missouri-Columbia, she found a community of students who were also looking to embrace their heritage.
A group of students that initially came together to join an organization with the mission to get #MoreLatinosInNews has turned into an invaluable friend group for Retchlers.
“If I didn’t have this organization, I genuinely don’t think my Mizzou experience would be the same.”
Rentschler is double majoring in journalism and physics and aspires to focus on science reporting, particularly on topics about involving space.
Accepting the NAHJ Student Chapter Cup Award on Wednesday was a remarkable moment for Rentschler. She will never forget how honored she felt going up the stage in front of a crowd of her journalism peers to accept the recognition.
“I feel so deeply humbled and grateful for the opportunity,” Rentschler said. “At the end of the day, journalists do the work that they do, because they genuinely want to do public service and do good for the community.”
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Sophie Rentschler’s name.
Sofia Mireles-Gonzalez is a fourth-year student at Michigan State University majoring in Journalism with a concentration in Broadcasting. She is interested in covering topics related to immigration and aims to become a bilingual immigration reporter in the future. Reach her at mireles.sofia14 [at] gmail [dot] com or on LinkedIn.
