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Sabrina Krupenko and Evelin Ortiz-Muñoz, participants in the student program at Enlace Latino NC, were recognized at the Report for America (RFA) Student Journalism Awards.
Krupenko won first place in “Best Photo” for her photograph that was part of an article on the impact of representation in the media on the queer Latino community.
The project aims to place “identity at the center of media rather than as a subtext as it normally is,” Krupenko explained in a video from the RFA student awards on April 11.
Ortiz-Muñoz, on the other hand, obtained third place in the “Best News Story” competition with her article on the challenging system for students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
“I am proud that my work has been selected by RFA as one of the top three for Best News Story, especially because the story itself highlights the importance of making higher education accessible to undocumented students”, Ortiz-Muñoz said.
Are you a journalism student in North Carolina, or would you like to study journalism? Are you bilingual and love the Latino community? This program is for you.
For more information contact claudia@enlacelatinonc.org.
Report for America Awards
The first RFA student awards recognized the achievements of young female journalists across the country, supervised by RFA members.
Krupenko and Ortiz-Muñoz participate in the student group managed by Claudia Rivera Cotto, a journalist at Enlace Latino NC and an RFA member.
“It is gratifying to see the talent of young Latinas and participants in my student program recognized nationally,” Rivera Cotto said. “These awards value their work and highlight the importance of including diverse perspectives in the media.”
“We celebrate the amazing collaboration between students and corps members”
Report for America assigns journalists to local media to cover underserved communities. RFA members also work on student journalism projects to promote media literacy among young people.
“Today, we celebrate those projects, but most importantly, we celebrate the amazing collaboration between students and corps members,” Denise Tejada, service projects manager, said.
“Since June, corps members have worked with more than 2,800 students. In total, corps members have input over 37,000 hours spent on projects serving nearly 13,000 students.”
Elevating youth voices and preparing for the future
For Krupenko and Ortiz-Muñoz, students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, writing and photographing for Enlace Latino NC allows them to hone their skills. Additionally, they expose the challenges and opportunities of the Latino community in North Carolina.
“This program has provided me with valuable mentorship and professional development that has cultivated my journalism skills. Thanks to the guidance I have received and the opportunity to write these stories, I have grown both as a writer and a journalist”, Ortiz-Muñoz said.
Since starting her internship at Enlace Latino NC, Ortiz-Muñoz has expressed her interest in reporting on the opportunities facing undocumented youth or DACA recipients.
“Receiving this recognition demonstrates the reach of local journalism and further inspires me to continue writing stories centered around community and fair social policies,” Ortiz-Muñoz said.
For her part, Krupenko has a special interest in using photography as a visual narrative to empower, restore joy, and grant autonomy to narratives projected in the media about the queer Latino community.
Thanks to the student program, Krupenko has been able to use visual content along with written narratives. She hopes this can help her achieve her goal of attending Law School and advocating for the community.
“I hope to have this investigative skills to help me be able to advocate for people and create better stories,” Krupenko said.
PODCAST
Después de la tormenta
Hace un año, el huracán Helene golpeó al oeste de Carolina del Norte. La comunidad latina respondió con algo más fuerte que la tormenta: solidaridad.
🎧 En este episodio, conoce cómo las organizaciones latinas transformaron la crisis en resiliencia.
▶️ ¡Dale play para escuchar!
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