Breaking Barriers and Redefining the Newsroom
By Juliana Castro
Story Highlights:
Point 1 Sentence- San Diego State University has given itself the title of "Hispanic Serving Institution", but the students do not feel that support.
Point 2 Sentence- Latina student journalists are taking advantage of new opportunities and creating spaces for themselves to succeed.
Point 3 Sentence- It is important to create safe spaces, build your network, and serve your community.
Abigail Segoviano, left, leads the Mundo Azteca meeting on April 29, 2026, in the Daily Aztec newsroom.
When I enter any unfamiliar place, I tend to look for someone who looks like me to feel a sense of comfort and belonging.
Growing up in a city where Latinos were part of the minority, when I entered any classroom from elementary school up to high school, I’d see maybe one other Hispanic sitting across the room. We would share a short glance, giving a nervous small grin back, as a sign of acknowledgment.
When I began college as a journalism major, I expected more diversity in the classrooms. I knew San Diego had a growing Hispanic population and thought that would be reflected at this university.
Acknowledging the Faults
In the Fall 2025 term at San Diego State University, 22,818 Latina applicants sought admission. Of those, 6,098 were admitted and 1,452 enrolled. During the same academic year, 121 women graduated with journalism degrees. Source
Yet, my first day of class, I remember sitting in the back of the room analyzing who was walking through the door. I waited eagerly for just one person to come in and make me feel like I wasn’t out of place. However, the only other person of color and I sat in the back of the room and quickly became friends.
Across college campuses, Latina student journalists are also stepping into leadership roles in newsrooms, podcasts, and digital media. They are not only reporting the news but challenging long-standing gaps in representation, bringing attention to issues affecting Latino communities and redefining campus journalism.
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Ivana Bustamante is a fellow Latina student journalist highly involved on the SDSU campus. She writes for the Spanish version of the Daily Aztec, Mundo Azteca, and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists(NAHJ).
Bustamante said, “There's no competitiveness to it because if one Latino journalist in the community is winning, we're all winning, because we can't do this-fighting with each other and competing. Like, we all have to uplift each other, and I think that was really when I kind of realized, like, “Oh, wow, organizations really do help you. They do push you forward, and people should definitely get more involved.’”
Finding a safe space to be a Latina journalist, she says, has benefited her as a student. The additional perspective of being bilingual, Hispanic, and a woman serves her reporting. At this university, there has been difficulty reaching a bigger audience and gaining members because of the lack of promotion. However, in Bustamante’s experience, that never altered her time because of the group of people she surrounded herself with and the strong sense of community.
Taking Initiative to Represent
Emily Barrera, the Daily Aztec’s Multimedia Editor, is a prime example of a Latina in a leadership role. As a Mexican in her role, it means getting to represent her heritage and culture.
Barrera grew up in LA and got teased about being “white-washed”; however, in her new role, she gets to tap into her Mexican side. As a DA editor, she gets to practice her Spanish through anchoring. She said, “I feel like that's been really empowering for me and kind of like tuning into that Mexican side, because Spanish was my first language. That's been really fun to, like, kind of just go back to that. And then I also feel very proud to be indisposition because my parents have worked really hard.”
She is in charge of the Instagram reels, the packages that are uploaded to their Instagram and YouTube, as well as the live broadcasts that we do once a month. She is additionally responsible for the contributors that come in, teaching all the members how to prepare, for being on camera, camera skills, honing in pitches to sort more SDSU related stuff, and then, as well as preparing the script and the graphics for the broadcast.
A word of advice from Barrera is, “Honestly, just go for it. Don't be scared. It doesn't matter what you look like, who you are, you are yourself, and you are enough.”
Social Media Post
@thedailyaztec-Day 2 of A.S. Debates took place today in the Student Union Courtyard, where candidates for Executive Vice President of External Relations addressed key issues for SDSU students.
Creating Your Own Success
Abigail Segoviano is a premium Latina student journalist as Mundo Azteca Editor, sports staff writer for the Daily Aztec, and NAHJ president. She describes her experience as one shaped by opportunity, growth, and a deepening connection to her community.
Her initial goal entering school focused on sports coverage, but she said her bilingualism expanded her reporting in unexpected ways. “I came in thinking I would just be covering sports,” she said, but her work evolved into telling stories that reflect Latino experiences, including interviewing Latino athletes and writing feature profiles.
Despite attending a Hispanic-serving institution, she said representation on campus feels limited. “I’m gonna be realistically honest, no,” she said when asked if she feels supported. “We have the title, but they don’t show it.”
Still, she has used that gap as motivation in her journalism, covering issues affecting her community, including campus protests and student concerns. She described this duality as both a challenge and an opportunity to hold institutions accountable while amplifying underrepresented voices.
“I always try to make the meetings… a safe, welcoming space,” she said, emphasizing the importance of balancing hard work with community bonding. Through these networks, she has gained access to major opportunities, including conferences, mentorship, and an upcoming internship. “NAHJ has opened those doors,” she said, noting it helped her secure a position with The Arizona Republic and selection for a national student project.
She encourages future Latina journalists to embrace challenges and pursue opportunities confidently. “Don’t be afraid. Always say yes when the door opens,” she said. “Be curious, ask questions… that’s going to be your job.”
Ivana Bustamante Rojo and Lauren French, members of the Mundo Azteca newspaper, wrote and published a story in the Daily Aztec.