Barragan, the youngest of two, was raised in Pomona, Calif. He grew up speaking fluent Spanish, reading The Los Angeles Times and dreaming of becoming a fiction writer.
It was a long journey for Alex Wroblewski to “stumble upon” photography. Now at 26 and a junior at Columbia College Chicago, he hopes to cover Middle Eastern affairs one day.
Melanie Dostis started her journalism career at 11, when she created her own monthly newspaper. Now a student at Northeastern University in Boston, she expects to graduate next May.
Anibal Ortiz uses photography to tell stories that words can’t describe. A recent graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Ortiz will intern this summer at the Star Tribune.
Marina’s story began when she was six months old in a Colombian orphanage. Raised by white parents, she fights to embrace her identity and become a righteous Latina journalist.
Maria Camila Bernal doesn’t care where she does journalism — as long as it’s forever. Bernal, 22, has worked at The Miami Herald, Telemundo and NBC 6 South. She’s a graduate of Florida International University.
Vanessa Martínez has a personal connection with the two bracelets that hang on her left wrist – they represent her cousin’s battle with cancer and the good luck she’s had in journalism since she started wearing them two years ago.
Molly Smith started her career in photography taking pictures for her high school yearbook. She went on to study journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and carries her camera everywhere she goes.
Paul Ingram, a master’s candidate at the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism, spends much of his time focusing on science and environmental issues in the Southwest, the place he has called home since birth.
Writing has surrounded Jeannette Cruz since childhood. Now a senior at Arizona State University, not much has changed and she dreams of many writing possibilities in her future.
Danya Pérez-Hernández graduated from the multimedia journalism program at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her experience migrating to the United States has inspired her reporting at The New York Times Student Journalism Institute.
For a time Hannah Winston wished to become an astronaut but it wasn’t until she read Capote’s “In True Blood” that she knew she was meant for a totally different adventure.
Fausto Giovanny Pinto does the kind of journalism that points out and dives into what others overlook. A master’s candidate at CUNY, he will continue this work at Newsday this summer.
When Arielle Dollinger was 13, her dad dissuaded her from becoming a lawyer. Now as a journalist, she hopes to cover “really ordinary things that people don’t normally think are beautiful.”
Journalism is a sacred career for Amer Taleb. His interest in journalism draws from a childhood stay in Lebanon. He says he can’t be an activist, but he can inform people with his stories.
A reporter’s murder in his hometown became Javier Panzar’s impetus for delving into journalism. Since then, his reporting has taken him to the forefront of polarizing issues time and again.
Kristian Hernández uses journalism as a way to explore his roots. Hernández, a University of Texas-El Paso graduate, has worked with Borderzine, Hispanic Link and the Star Tribune.
Joesph Fitzgerald, a junior at San Francisco State University, sees journalism as a calling and a necessary service.
Elaine Cromie was given her first camera, a 35mm contraption with a black plastic body and a pink carrying strap, at the age of 7. Now a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, she carries a more complicated piece of equipment and has started work on her first long-form documentary.
Mario Koran’s jail stint turned into the journalism opportunity of a lifetime. Koran is a master’s student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and future intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Erik Reyna draws from his background in visual journalism to tell stories through a unique perspective. His dual interest in journalism and CSS led him to pursue a master’s degree in new media from the University of California, Berkeley.
Unexpectedly meeting the girlfriend of a man killed when a police siege went wrong reinforced Griselda Ramirez’s determination to succeed as a journalist. “I feel like the news follows me,” Ramirez says.
As co-anchor and co-producer of a weekly Spanish radio show at the University of Florida, Monivette Cordeiro shares a strong connection with the Latino community. She is expected to graduate this summer.
The New York Times Student Journalism Institute for 2013 in Tucson, Ariz., is now closed. While this website will remain posted there will be no new reporting.
During the Institute, students are working journalists supervised by reporters and editors from The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Opportunities for students include reporting, copy editing, photography, Web production, print and Web design, and video journalism. Institute graduates now work at major news organizations, including The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The New York Times itself, and dozens of midsize news organizations. More information »
