The job of “journalist” or “editor” was never a role I dreamed of growing up but it is a role I have come to love.
When touring college campuses in the summer of 2019 prior to my senior year at Flower Mound High School, I spent most of my time learning about English programs that gawked at me when I told them I never wanted to become a teacher. Especially at Texas universities, the idea of majoring in English was not the highlight of the campus tour.
It wasn’t until a summer evening prior to my tour at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville that I even considered journalism. Scrolling on the campus website, my mom and I came across a dual major program for both English and journalism.
After a quick email less than 24 hours before the tour I stepped foot into my first newsroom that I would come to know and love in Kimpel Hall. And ever since October of 2020 I have worked in journalism.
I started out as a volunteer writer with The Razorback Yearbook and later served as copy editor and assistant editor. That publication gave me my start with my first print byline focusing on the isolation of living in dorms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through The Razorback, I accepted the ACP Pacemaker 100 alongside the yearbook’s editor-in-chief at the time inside The Washington Post building in D.C. It was amazing to see one of the staple institution’s stomping grounds in person and that 2022 Society of Professional Journalists national convention trip is one of my most cherished college memories.
Many other memories are connected to my time at The Arkansas Traveler, DJing at KXUA, as the first two-term editor-in-chief of Hill Magazine and serving as the Director of Strategic Media and Collaboration for our student-led outlets.
UARK Student Media built my foundation in journalism and I am forever grateful for my time there, along with several amazing internship opportunities. I just finished my fifth year at the university in May, earning my M.A. in Journalism with a news narratives focus through the 5-Year program and a graduate certificate in African and African American Studies. In May 2024, I earned that B.A. in English/journalism with minors in history and gender studies.
As much as I love my friends in Fayetteville, a job offer called me back to Texas. Right to the Dallas streets I visited every fall, winter, spring and summer break I could.
I am now living in Oak Cliff (with my boyfriend I met in my News Reporting I class) and we love visiting the Bishop Arts District. I often stop by The Texas Theatre, just spent my birthday in July at Tejas and love perusing the shelves of The Wild Detectives.
I am excited to cover the community within Oak Cliff, especially outside of the Bishop Arts District, as I know there are so many places and people I have yet to explore. Some of my favorite pieces I have written so far with the Advocate include getting to interview Rep. Jessica González my first week on the job and learning about the Pan-African Connection while exploring the NTX Indie Book Crawl.
As I am new to living in the area, I am on the hunt for stories that have gone untold or anything important that I need to be filled in on as Oak Cliff editor. If you have something to share, please let me know at vhernandez@advocatemag.com.
Photo by Savanna Green.
