Reuniting with NAHJ familia: members share their favorite moments from New Orleans
Seasoned reporters, communications professionals, aspiring journalists, and media recruiters converged on the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference and Expo in New Orleans this week to celebrate and learn
During the conference, journalists shuffled through the career fair to meet with employers such as CNN, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Guardian. And, armed with tote bags, they listened to speakers, took headshots, and joined in on festivities.
The Latino Reporter talked with some of the attendees about their favorite part of the week’s gathering. Here’s what they had to say:
“Cecilia Vega. It was so powerful seeing her speak, and hearing her talk about her work, and where she’s going next. The way her brother had described to her, ‘Your job’s not your legacy,’ [was] just so refreshing to hear from a really well-renowned journalist. Honestly, I’m really impressed by the caliber of journalists here, especially as an early career journalist. Seeing a lot of people who think about journalism so profoundly, but also make space for other things in life that are important to them, it’s powerful.”
— Isa Dominguez, POLITICO education reporter
“My highlight has been the NBCU Academy, that one was incredible. I met Jose Diaz-Balart and I watched him when I was a kid. To see him now, I think he’s being honored as a Hall of Fame member, just being able to speak with him, he’s incredibly nice, itt was shocking. He’s an incredible person, an incredible journalist, and hearing tips from him on what I should do as a young reporter, getting tips on how to do vertical videos, what recruiters are looking for, it’s really helpful.”
— Sandra Daniela Tabaoada-Palau, KBMT Channel 12 multimedia reporter
“The award ceremony, it wasn’t expected. It is the highlight because from where I come from, I am the first one who speaks English and the first one who flies out of the island and the first one who does their bachelor’s and master’s in journalism, so my family helped me to be where I am now. But at the same time, my mentors and friends and peers, who have seen me. That’s why for me the NAHJ familia is important, and the award ceremony, the fact that the Latino Reporter won an award is just a reflection of the power of mentorship.”
— Wesley J. Pérez Vidal, Advance Local newsroom reporter and 2025 Student Project participant
“Honestly, I think the highlight’s really just been networking with the bigger stations like CNN and MSNBC and seeing the opportunities that they’ve been giving out has been quite extraordinary. And I love how they’ve been able to sit everyone down and meet with everyone, get to know them and their stories.”
— Alondra Strawther, University of Texas Arlington communications major
“I think the recruiters were very insightful, they gave really good feedback and really good advice, so I have a lot to take home and a lot that I could resonate with.”
— Reina Nieves, Fox 35 Orlando associate producer
“Meeting new people in the industry, reconnecting with people who I haven’t seen in a while, getting to see people I didn’t expect to see has been nice. I’ve had some good food, too.”
— Carlos Garcia, With Intelligence reporter covering endowments and foundations
“You get to connect with anybody and everybody at all levels. I think that’s always the biggest takeaway. People we grow up watching on national television, we get to almost become colleagues with them here because of that mutual connection of our background.”
— Adam Campos, ABC10 reporter and producer
“I thought that the EL PAÍS panel was terrific. I thought that the moderator did a terrific job in guiding the conversation, focusing on both the challenges that we face with the current climate in the United States, and also how reporters who are outside the United States see those challenges.”
— Manuel Torres, The Marshall Project criminal justice reporter
Nikole Valiente is a senior at Florida International University. She is a rural reporting fellow at Boyd’s Station in Berry, Kentucky, and aspires to become a general assignment reporter covering her hometown of Hialeah, Florida. Reach her at nikolev1023 [at] gmail [dot] com or @ni.kole.v.
