The National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ South Florida Chapter awarded $1,250 scholarships to two Miami Dade College students on the executive board of The Reporter.
Yazid Guelida and Ninette Portero are the third pair of students to be awarded the scholarship since its inauguration in 2023. Two more winners will be selected this summer.
The scholarship is available to active members of The Reporter, MDC’s student newspaper.
Applicants for the scholarship needed to be enrolled in at least six credits at MDC, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and complete two essays on the importance of journalism and their experience at The Reporter.
The paper has a monthly circulation of 10,250 copies per print cycle and reports on all eight MDC campuses through its print, digital and newsletter editions. It was launched on Oct. 4, 2010.
Yazid Guelida
Guelida, who is based at Wolfson Campus, serves as editor-in-chief of The Reporter.
“My mom used to be in the newspaper in the late ’80s and early ’90s when it was called the Metropolis,” Guelida said. “She brought me to the office on my first day, and I just wanted to be part of something at Miami Dade and I felt like this fit my interest best.”
Raised in Miami Shores, the 19-year-old is of Colombian and Moroccan descent.
One of his favorite assignments was writing an obituary about Jack Williams, a longtime judo professor at North Campus. Guelida interviewed Williams’ family and attended his celebration of life ceremony.
“It was a very personal story, and I got to learn a lot,” Guelida said.
The aspiring journalist also wrote a series of stories surrounding the potential construction of the Donald J. Trump presidential library. The reporting included various visits to the courthouse.
“It gave me a hands-on feel for journalism,” Guelida said.
As editor-in-chief, he supervises more than 30 staff members, and writes and coordinates assignments.
“You have to build relationships with people, not just as friends, but as a leader,” Guelida said.
He plans to transfer to either Emerson College in Boston or the University of Florida to continue studying journalism. His long-term goal is to become an investigative reporter.
“It’s a great honor to receive this scholarship. I’ve tried to do the best I can here as part of The Reporter and it’s a recognition of that,” Guelida said. “I appreciate it a lot. It goes to show that hard work does pay off.”
Ninette Portero
Portero, who is based at Kendall Campus, has combined her passion for storytelling and the arts at The Reporter.
The 20-year-old is a journalism and mass communications major who serves as a news writer and forum editor for the paper. Since joining The Reporter in January of 2025, she has contributed to every section of the newspaper except sports.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Portero immigrated to the United States when she was 12 years old. Before pursuing journalism, she was a dance student at New World School of the Arts High School.
“I knew I wanted to do something beyond dance that was kind of within the same realm of the arts, but that had a bigger impact,” Portero said.
Portero initially joined The Reporter as a briefing writer before transitioning into arts and entertainment coverage. One of her first assignments was a movie review written during the Miami Film Festival.
Eventually, Portero developed a strong interest in the forum section. She has written columns on immigration policy, ethics in photography and ICE.
“I kind of fell in love with forum,” she said
Among her favorite news stories was covering the reopening of Miami’s Freedom Tower, a historic landmark closely tied to the Cuban diaspora.
“It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, because it was personal to me,” Portero said.
In the news section, she has written crime stories, student profiles, and an article about a records request the paper made to the college.
Portero has been accepted to Emerson College and New York University and hopes to pursue a career in investigative journalism.
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