Meet the Latino Reporter Digital staff

They're young, they're smart and they need a job — contact them!

Kara Andrade

Kara Andrade is a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley School of Journalism. She received her B.A. in Literature from New College of Florida and has an extensive background in public health and community organizing.

She has worked as a staff writer, photojournalist and translator for the Alameda Journal of the Contra Costa Times, the Oakland Tribune, Agence France Presse, and many local publications such as El Tecolote, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Colorlines and Code 3 magazines.

She was a program coordinator and community organizer for a youth policy group called Environmental Prevention in Communities (EPIC) based in Berkeley and has won numerous fellowships and awards. She recently interned in Mexico City with the Associated Press assisting with election coverage.

Javier Barrera

Javier Barrera, originally from Chicago, currently lives in New York City. He is a graduate student at CUNY's Hunter College working toward his MFA degree in Film and Media Studies.

Barrera has worked as a web and graphic designer most recently for the American Civil Liberties Union. He has also written several articles for the Hunts Point Express in the Bronx on environmental issues.

He is also a multimedia artist who has shown in galleries in New York, Chicago, and Miami.

Barrera is currently residing in West Virginia researching an online project about Mountain-Top Removal Mining and its effects on the surrounding Appalachian communities.

Julio Cortez

Julio, 27, graduated from California State University, Northridge, on May 31 with a degree in journalism becoming the first person in his family to graduate from a university in the United States. Julio's love for journalism began at 12 years old when he joined the staff of his middle school's publication, The Madison Journal.

Over the years, Julio has worked on publications at all of the schools he's attended. He was a sports stringer at the Los Angeles Times just weeks after graduating from high school. He then became a part-time sports reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News.

Julio realized photography was what he truly loved and was willing to do anything to pursue his dream of becoming a professional photographer. He has interned across the nation, including for Al Dia Newspaper in Dallas, the Standard-Times in San Angelo, Texas and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Moreover, Julio has taken part in student projects with the Society of Professional Journalists in New York City and in Las Vegas in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Last year, he was on staff on the Latino Reporter during the NAHJ convention in Fort Worth.

Julio has a busy summer coming up. A day after the 2006 NAHJ National Convention is over, Julio will begin a summer internship with the Associated Press in Chicago.

"I am proud to have given my parents the opportunity to see their eldest son get a college degree," Julio said. "My parents worked so hard when the family migrated from Mexico City to Los Angeles. Their work ethics are definitely in my genes."

Nadia Rivera Nieves

Nadia Rivera Nieves, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, became interested in journalism in high school. She was a writer for Metro Bridge, The Hartford Courant’s youth newspaper.

Nadia studies at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., working toward a double major in government and romance languages. She is doing an internship this summer at the Associated Press Caribbean bureau in Puerto Rico.

Nadia completed an internship at The Hartford Courant after high school. In college, she founded and led the Voz Latina Community and Media Institute, directing high school and college journalism programs.

A native Spanish speaker, Nadia is also fluent in French.

Gloria Romano

Gloria Romano, 23, is a New York City resident of Mexican descent. She is one of five children born to an immigrant family and a first generation college student. She is a recent graduate of Hunter College where she majored in Media Studies and Studio Art. As a child Romano dreamt of becoming a reporter. She continues to find the act of interviewing people for the purpose of informing readers about what is happening around the world very exciting.

Another goal she successfully accomplished during her college experience was to create a website for the Film and Media Studies Department. She also interned at Webservesus.org, and at American Ceramics Magazine.

Currently Romano is an Editorial Assistant for the CENTRO Journal at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. In addition, she was one of four students selected for the 2006 Ford Motor Company NAHJ/NAHP Journalism Fellowship.

Omar Vega

Omar Vega, 20, of San Francisco, Calif., is a third year student at San Francisco State University. He’s majoring in journalism with an emphasis in photojournalism.

During 2005, he traveled around the world documenting natural disasters and social injustices in Sri Lanka, Baghdad, Iraq, Famine in Niger, Africa, HIV/AIDS orphans in Botswana, Africa, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Vega currently freelances in the San Francisco Bay Area and pursues personal projects locally and internationally during school vacations. View his photographs at www.worldpressassociation.net.

Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson, online project leader, lectures in the journalism department at Boston University and writes a weekly personal technology column for Computerworld.com.

A former editor for the Boston Globe, Johnson now freelances for the paper’s business section. She was a part of the team that launched the Globe's regional Web site, boston.com.

Johnson has volunteered on print and online student projects for more than 10 years at various conventions including NABJ, NAHJ, ASNE, NLGJA and all three UNITY conventions. Over the years she has mentored dozens of college and high school students interested in careers in journalism.

Enrique J. Gonzales

As a former newspaper reporter, Enrique Gonzales has made it his goal to help off-line media thrive in the digital age. With more than 10 years experience in the on-line world, Gonzales has worked at Gannett Co. Inc. since late 2000, helping its almost 100 daily newspapers on a variety of on-line projects, including web analytics.

He began his quest in 1994, after completing his MBA at the University of Texas at Austin. In late 1995, he joined HISPANIC Magazine to launch the first freely available Latino forum on America Online, a site twice recognized as an AOL Members' Choice. In mid-1999, he attempted to launch a startup before joining Gannett.

In seven years experience as a newspaper reporter, his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Austin American Statesman, the Washington Times, and the San Antonio Light while several of his columns have been distributed by the Hispanic Link news service.

Currently, he works as a marketing database manager for USATODAY.com.

Manuelita Beck

Manuelita Beck works as an information assistant for Azcentral.com, where she works on the arts and entertainment calendar.