In an effort to connect with the Emerson community more directly, we are taking our articles into the organizations that are so loved by the students at Emerson. These organizations work year-round to benefit the community in a number of different ways, and we at Her Campus at Emerson want to recognize the hardwork and dedication that go into running each and everyone one of them. In this article, we will be featuring the Emerson chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). The organization is a branch of the national association, which was founded in 1984 with the goal of promoting “more Latinos in news.” The Emerson chapter was founded by Angelika Romero in 2015 who now serves as an immigration attorney. The chapter at Emerson is excited to grow and is always looking for new members.
The chapter’s executive board is made up of four members. Natalie Benoit is the president, and the chapter is currently without an undergraduate vice president. They do, however, have a graduate vice president, Anibal Santiago. Ashly Ibarra is the organization’s treasurer, and Belen Dumont is the secretary. All executive board members are journalism majors with focuses that range from broadcast to print journalism.
NAHJ has been focusing on holding events in the past years. Most recently, they sent a group of their members to the 2019 Excellence in Journalism conference in San Antonio, Texas. The event had a lot of workshops, speakers, and job recruiters in the journalism field and was a great opportunity for members of NAHJ to network. This event was one of the team’s favorite memories since they sent members of the organization and students outside of the org to participate in the conference. They loved sharing a hotel room and working through all the events of the day. The chapter also held a climate change panel in partnership with the NAHJ New England Chapter last spring. They held this event for the Emerson community as well as journalists in the Boston community.
At Emerson’s chapter of NAHJ, they are most excited to start creating networking events, which they are planning to have throughout the semester. They are also hoping to integrate more team bonding as the chapter grows in membership, since they place such a strong emphasis on the importance of networking. The president, Natalie Benoit, said, “Networking is a great opportunity to meet other journalists in order to exchange information about job and internship opportunities,” and continued by stating further that NAHJ’s Emerson chapter is looking to “foster a safe/comfortable environment for learning from each other and collaborating with each other.
For NAHJ, they are really excited to expand this semester. They have always had a relatively small chapter, but they are hoping that their numbers will increase soon, as more and more students are beginning to show interest in the offerings of NAHJ. They are looking forward to being able to host bigger events, have more meetings, and to engage with the professional world of journalism on a larger scale.
This chapter of NAHJ is unique in that they also welcome allies into their chapter, which is something that the organization finds really important. Natalie explained to us that, “You do not have to be Hispanic to join because the whole purpose of NAHJ is to get more Latinos in news. Allies are important to us because NAHJ is the only organization that caters to students of color journalists on campus.”
If you are interested in joining or learning more about Emerson’s chapter of NAHJ, you can reach out to nahj@emerson.edu, the President of Emerson’s NAHJ chapter natalie_benoit@emerson.edu, or the organization’s advisor cindy_rodriguez@emerson.edu. You can also feel free to message them through emconnect or their social media pages! If you are looking to follow Emerson’s NAHJ chapter, you can check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or emconnect.
Finally, we asked Emerson’s chapter of NAHJ to describe themselves in three words, to which, Natalie responded: “Supportive, Chill & Caffeinated! This chapter, at its core, is about supporting fellow journalists who identify as Hispanic, Latinx, or an alley. We encourage one another to do our best while also sharing our thoughts, works, and opinions in a safe and welcoming environment. We’re a smaller group on campus and understand the daily life of a college student can be extremely overwhelming. We do our best to be flexible and understanding with one another when it comes to having eboard or general meetings, but still hold one another accountable. And of course most of us, if not all, enjoy a good cup of coffee!”
Bonus Questions:
TS: What Hogwarts house does your org most identify with?
NB: We give off Ravenclaw vibes with a hint of Hufflepuff
TS: If you could describe your club with one movie or TV show, what would you pick and why?
NB: “Booksmart” but make it with people of color! We care about our academic careers and professional work, but we also know how to have a good time and make friends with everyone, like Amy and Molly do at the end of the movie.
TS: Is your chapter more cat people or dog people?
NB: Doggos!
*All photos provided by Emerson’s chapter of NAHJ*