Valerie's Personal Narrative

It was 2013, 9 PM. I was seven, wearing my Hello Kitty Pajamas.  CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper reported on President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address.  My investigative news stories about pet shelters and my mother's cooking soon transformed into presidents' agendas. 

 

I was born a journalist. I knew that this was the career I wanted to pursue. Even when I was around ten years old, I would write stories about my mom’s work office. A headline would go like this: “Copy paper STOLEN from the main printer! Here’s who did it.” I would eventually be told to stop coming to my mom’s office, but that didn’t stop me. 

 

Since middle school, I have cultivated my interest in Journalism. I started my former middle school’s broadcasting platform, Lightning News, and pursued my interests in high school. I joined the CHAT Newspaper in 2021, where I was not hesitant to fight for a position, only having two weeks of experience under my belt--I became the youngest editor they had that year. 

Then, I became the News Editor (2022), devoting my time and energy to featuring daily student and global news that PPCHS students could read and be featured in. I was also in charge of FSPA (Florida Scholastic Press Association) for our newspaper. I single-handedly taught our staff about this organization, entered over 40 articles from our staff members, and successfully brought over 30 students to the Fall and Spring FSPA conventions. My articles won All-Florida awards and Excellent and Honorable Mentions during these conventions. However, most of the staff in the CHAT Newspaper also brought home many tremendous awards. Most recently (April 2023), I led us to FSPA again and even held my own speaking session in front of over 200 students, explaining how to use your student voice to bring awareness on any topic. With this, I was announced Editor-in-Chief (January 2023) and have fulfilled that position wholeheartedly ever since. 

 

However, once I was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 9th grade, it changed the way I covered my stories. I began to feel more passionate about every community I wrote about. I was a part of a new community that was underrepresented. Many news articles sounded like this: “Endometriosis: the fake menstrual disease,” since endometriosis is one of the most challenging conditions to diagnose. I was fortunate enough to get my endometriosis surgery in June of 2023. 

 

My goal as a future journalist is to prove that journalism isn’t just about politics and chaos but it can also be about highlighting marginalized communities and unifying them simultaneously. Since the 8th grade, I have used my developing journalism skills to advocate for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. I currently run a Florida nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization called Hear This, and I am releasing my novel, A New Perception, near the end of February. Social media has become a prime news source for our youth, so I used Hear This to share some of my research through Instagram blogs. 

 

I’m comfortable with sharing the vulnerability that stems from my condition as I’ve learned that communities are not just composed of race and culture. They’re also created by experiences and perspectives of the world. Journalism isn’t always about politics and war; it’s also about uniting marginalized communities and giving everyone a voice. The power of storytelling can break the boundaries of untold stories or silenced voices. I am a Puerto Rican woman, a journalist, and an endometriosis survivor. These are the communities I belong to, and I aspire to help people find their communities, too.  

 

This is my passion as a future journalist.