Student meets reporting legends at Hispanic journalist convention

For North Central College student Eduardo Sanchez Beltran ’16, his future as a journalist starts now.

A double major in broadcast communication and interactive media studies, Sanchez Beltran attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) 2014 Convention Aug. 7-9 in San Antonio, Texas. As a member of the NAHJ Student Project, he took photos, wrote feature stories and contributed to a website covering the convention.

“It was a great learning experience,” he said. “I really got to practice my reporting skills and meet some interesting people along the way.”

Sanchez Beltran also met Juan Manuel “John” Quiñones, ABC News correspondent and host of “Primetime” and “What Would You Do?” Quiñones was joined by fellow media powerhouses, including ABC News Senior National/White House Correspondent Jim Avila, film director Robert Rodriguez and other Latino media professionals.    

The three-day event—which celebrated NAHJ’s 30th anniversary—featured a packed schedule of guest speakers, workshops and a Media and Career Expo. Workshops covered a wide range of journalistic subjects, including “How to Go from Local Broadcast Reporter to National Correspondent” and “Video Journalism for Multiple Platforms.” Exhibitors and recruiters at the Media and Career Expo included ABC, CBS News, ESPN and other major media outlets. Interacting with media companies is an invaluable experience to Sanchez Beltran, who hopes to work for one.

“My dream is to work for a network news company, possibly a Spanish station. The convention was a perfect experience for me.”

He didn’t simply attend the convention; Sanchez Beltran honed his on-the-field reporting skills by covering various events and participants. As a member of the NAHJ Student Project, he contributed to latinoreporter.org, a site dedicated to covering the event and promoting the NAHJ. Two of his entries were published on the website, including a profile of a Latina reporter who attended the event.

“The idea was to model the profile after the bestselling book and project ‘Humans of New York,’” said Sanchez Beltran. “This was one of my favorite parts of the event—listening to the fascinating stories told by the people there.”

Sanchez Beltran is crafting his own story, preparing for a career in journalism through internship experiences and on-campus opportunities. This summer, he interned in his hometown of Minneapolis with CW23 Twin Cities television station—writing promos, helping with live-in-studio production and working with the creative services team. During the school year, he writes and delivers live news and traffic updates through the College’s award-winning radio station, WONC-FM 89.1.

After graduation, Sanchez Beltran plans to use his experience to cover immigration issues, travel and entertainment news.

“Whatever type of reporting, I just want to make an impact.”

Written by Troy Kelleher ’16