Keyra Mendoza, a rising sophomore, has been appointed as The Reporter’s editor-in-chief for the 2026-27 school year.
Mendoza will begin her duties on Aug. 3. She will oversee a staff of more than 40 students, assign and edit stories, train writers, oversee section editors and represent the paper at college-wide events.
She replaces Yazid Guelida, who is transferring to Emerson College in Boston this fall after receiving a full scholarship.
“I’ve enjoyed my time [at The Reporter] and hope [to] create an environment as comforting next semester,” she said.
The 19-year-old was born in Peru and immigrated to the United States when she was 6. Mendoza discovered her interest in journalism after interviewing a Holocaust survivor for her world literature studies class during her senior year at Miami Beach Senior High School.
She joined The Reporter last fall as a briefing writer before being promoted to news.
Mendoza, who was one of four students this year to receive the $1,250 National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ South Florida Chapter scholarship at MDC, has written stories on the Miami Film Festival, a student-led podcast at North Campus titled SharkCast and led coverage on the 2026 commencement ceremony.
She is pursuing an associate degree in journalism and mass communications at Wolfson Campus and is currently doing a paid internship at Impact.Edition, a Miami-based nonprofit publication dedicated to sustainable development and collective impact.
