Personal Narrative

I am a paradox. 

 

I was born with two names, each chosen by one of my parents for a distinctly different purpose.  On one hand, I am Maia, symbolizing motherhood, embrace and earth. But on the other hand, I am Isabella, signifying a connection and devotion to god — later finding it hard to be both a Romanticist atheist and a devoted Catholic. I love the rich, soulful music of Latin music, but a childhood illness caused me to be partially deaf. I am a living contradiction. 

 

I am earth. I am close to God.

I am Mexican. I am American.

I am hearing. I am deaf.

All of this makes me a better journalist. 

 

Even while being a member of my school community, I am constantly reminded how much of an outsider I am. At my predominately white institution, I am part of the 20% of students on financial aid. In some classes, I’ll be the only Latina present, pressured to represent an entire ethnicity. But, while wearing my press pass, I can use my contradictory position to identify and amplify forgotten voices and spotlight the stories that aren’t being told. 

 

When I discovered there wasn’t a single physical disability story on The Oracle, I picked up my pen to break down the IEP system and highlight stories of teachers, parents and students in LAUSD schools who have found themselves challenged by the constricting system. When I was curious about how my school doesn’t provide any financial aid assistance for lunch, I teamed up with my publication’s Features Editor to investigate student opinions on the lack of food stipends and the complexities of the school’s budgeting system. Being an outsider gives me a unique voice in the newsroom, and I use that power whenever I can.

 

I am a writer. I am also a multimedia producer. Through both writing and multimedia, I feel myself boundless as I can choose a vast array of mediums to share stories journalistically. I am proud to have simultaneously experimented and reinvented how multimedia happens on The Oracle. When I was a staff reporter learning the ropes of journalism, I especially was engrossed in podcasting and adored listening to the podcast editor’s infectious passion for audio editing and storytelling. When she left unexpectedly midyear and no one else wanted to take her place, I volunteered.

 

As soon as I began teaching myself how to cut audio in Adobe Audition, I felt the unspoken power to stringing together facts with strong quotes and emotions from my sources. From there, I tried every digital medium possible to share stories on the news site. I created the first formal broadcasts, made infographics and designed graphic illustrations to tie my stories together. With each new multimedia piece I tried, I felt closer to the humans, issues and stories I covered.
 

Even now, I continue to contradict myself in and out of the classroom as I balance two roles: a leader and a learner. I was fortunate enough to become the multimedia editor last year and now features editor, but being a leader is no easy feat. I’ve spent countless hours and many sleepless nights editing podcasts, broadcasts and feature stories. However, nothing is better than helping another student feel confident in their article or broadcast. Some of my favorite moments have been work times in class or meetings during lunch where not only is an article strengthened by the end of the meeting, but I see a student build understanding and excitement for journalism because of something I taught them.

 

But  contrastingly, I am aware that I don’t know everything. Maybe it is as simple as capitalizing a word to fit AP Style rules or as large as including a certain quote in an article because of how it impacts the greater narrative of the article. I’ve continued to hold onto my value of endless curiosity by asking questions and reaching out for help from my fellow editors and journalism adviser because, alongside the constantly improving news climate we are living in today, I too want to always be improving how I approach journalism and storytelling.

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I was less of a contradiction. Yet, with a reporter’s notebook in hand, being a paradox is perhaps my greatest strength. I will continue to be an anomaly if it means I can tell the best stories possible.