My Two Years Of Bliss At The Reporter

As I sat on the balcony of my house in Homestead, reflecting on the declining health of my father, who was hospitalized due to cirrhosis of the liver, I received a call from Ammy Sanchez, who at the time served as editor-in-chief of The Reporter.

After a brief conversation, I pitched to her my first idea: a column on how alcohol destroys lives. The piece ran in the newspaper the same day my dad died—Aug. 23. 

Now less than a month before transferring to Duke University and leaving my post as editor-in-chief of The Reporter, here are my reflections on my two years at Miami Dade College. 

Lessons Learned

I remember sitting nervously inside the Student Government Association senate room at Kendall Campus waiting for Homestead Campus President Oscar Loynaz to show up for an interview. 

It was my first news story. I was terrified. 

The assignment would be my first extended interview, and it was with a campus president. It went well, but I had to email him more than 10 times with follow-up questions. 

As I conducted more interviews, I became comfortable talking with people regardless of their rank. I learned to listen and be curious instead of being obsessively self-aware. 

The paper also taught me painful but essential lessons about time management and hard work.  

When the Tower Theater changed hands from MDC to the City of Miami last October, I was responsible for covering the event. 

While most news outlets produced stories as the change unfolded, we remained quiet on the matter due to my lack of timeliness. 

We eventually published an article after a protest at the theater. I learned that when news breaks, journalists must act fast. 

Other stories, like my feature on last year’s leadership shakeup at Urbana, the literary magazine at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus, taught me about the amount of interviews, sleepless nights and revisions needed to produce good journalism. 

It’s frustrating and soul crushing at times, but when the work is done, the gratification overcomes everything.

But the most special stories were the obituaries. I have written five.

The first one was on Raleigh Mann, the College’s first student newspaper editor in 1961. I still recall the two-hour conversation I had with his daughter, Barbara Beth Woodward, as she reminisced about her father amidst moments of silent grief. 

Other obits, such as Christina Neal and Javier Coto’s, reminded me of my own mortality and served as a reminder to hold my loved ones close. 

Lifelong Friendships

Aside from giving me purpose and a crippling coffee addiction, The Reporter gave me a family. 

My editor, Ammy, quickly became one of my closest friends and confidants. She taught me the basics of journalism and guided me through my first year at the college. 

Outside of the newsroom, she introduced me to Taylor Swift, Guaraná soda and Chicken Kitchen—currently one of my go-to restaurants. 

Manolo Barco, who serves as the publication’s adviser, became the closest thing I’ve had to a father figure. 

During my time as editor, he was my right-hand man, often giving me advice on how to handle situations such as managing staff, conducting sensitive interviews and communicating with College officials. 

His help and reassurance helped me to believe in my abilities and to trust that things work out. I’m leaving the paper the most confident I’ve ever been. 

Managing the staff also taught me to connect with different characters and to maximize each person’s strengths. When we weren’t working, we spent our free time goofing around and talking about our lives. 

As my time at MDC comes to an end, I’m grateful for the professors, students and staff that crossed my path. 

Each one helped create one of the most magical and memorable experiences of my life.  

Miami Dade College, I will miss you dearly.