When I met Diana Rojas in June in Dallas, Texas , the 23-year-old told me she was excited to graduate from the University of Texas Arlington, but also nervous about whether she would be able to find a job.
Like many of us reporters, she knew several journalists were losing their jobs, because newspapers and television stations continued to downsize. The Colombian born journalist wondered if anyone would hire her straight out of college after graduation.
By chance, someone told her that Discovery En Español was going to launch a new television show. Discovery was looking for five young Latinos with different backgrounds who would travel together from Alaska to Argentina. On the way, cameras would be rolling on everything the five would do.
Diana says “It was incredible! I hurried to put together my resume. I went to audition in Dallas. I heard that more than one thousand people were auditioning. I prayed I’d get the call back.”
By the time I saw Diana again in July at the NAHJ convention in Denver, she was bubbling with excitement. She got the call back and was days from leaving on a transcontinental adventure. She would be the multimedia journalist among the pack of young men and women chosen for the trip.
On Saturday night, Sept 25, we’ll finally get to see Diana’s work when the show “Norte a Sur” premieres on Discovery En Español. Diana believes “It has been the best life experience ever because it did not only change me as a human being, but it also gave me enough material to get inspired and become a better journalist.”
Diana credits her husband for encouraging her when she was 19-years-old to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. She now plans to work on her Masters degree.
I predict Diana is going to become a very well-known woman in television news or even entertainment. Her charismatic, yet humble personality combined with her beauty and talent—make her the perfect person for any show.
