NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Hispanic Student Journalist Association, with the support of NSU-TV News Service, has been awarded a Student Technology Fee Grant of $23,100 to fund equipment for the award-winning podcast “Latino Living.” The equipment will enable the continued recording of longform interviews that are uploaded to NSU’s Purple Media Network to meet professional standards.
While the HSJA organization is the recipient, all students in the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts will benefit, said Assistant Professor Dr. Nick Taylor.
“In fact, the grant can help students from all majors, as we’ve had music and business majors work with ‘Latino Living’ and/or NSU-TV News Service,” Taylor said.
“Latino Living” explores life, family, relationships and other topics from the perspective of NSU’s Spanish-speaking students. Last year, producers received a $3,000 Rebirth grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to support the podcast, which also earned a 2023 Bronze Telly Award in the Branded Content-General-Podcast category.
Taylor said the “Latino Living” crew deserves credit for the work they do on the podcast and other multimedia. That includes Lia Portillo Cantarero, producer and host; Isabel Juarez-Rubio, assistant producer; Allison Florez Bermudez, editor, and recent graduates Naydu Daza Maya, former host and now a multimedia journalist with KSLA in Shreveport, and Laura Cabracas Vargas, former technical director.
“This crew put deep thought and professional production values into each episode. They continuously produce professional standard multimedia. Without their dedication to excellence, I don’t know if we would have earned this grant,” Taylor said.
Taylor also credited Amber Miley, administration assistant in the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts, for researching equipment costs and finalizing the grant application.
Taylor said the HSJA and NSU-TV News Service are marquee programs within the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts that continues to draw new students each semester and play a role in recruiting the next generation of students.
“Latino Living” can be viewed on Youtube and Spotify.
