I started this journey two years ago in 2022. Back then, I was just a scared and timid kid who did not have a background in journalism.

Now, after what felt like an eternity, I am leading one of El Paso’s largest newsrooms helping others who were like me find their voice and find their footing.

I have worn several hats since I changed my major after my first semester as a music education major. First, as a sports editor at The Prospector and then a staff member at Minero Magazine.

I remained in those positions until January 2023. During the winter months, I started a new role at El Paso Matters. I was lucky enough to interview and intern with the non-profit news site at the time.

It was there that I found my passion for independent and investigative journalism. Thanks to the help from Bob Moore and my editors Ramon Bracamontes and Cindy Ramirez, I was able to hone in my writing and investigative abilities, which helped lead me into my next news internship.

I was unsure if I would find an internship for this summer and was prepared to remain in El Paso. It was not for lack of trying, though, as I applied to many opportunities. It was in a moment of panic that I decided to apply to KERA in North Texas.

KERA is Dallas and Fort Worth’s NPR and PBS affiliate. The station functioned as a public broadcasting station with news on T.V., radio and on the web.

Here, I learned how to report news for radio. I learned audio recording and editing techniques while still developing my skills as a multimedia journalist.

Now, heading into my final semester at UTEP and at Student Media and Publications, I hope to apply the skills and tricks I have picked up since becoming a journalist to help teach my staff and colleagues how to succeed early on in their journalism careers.

As editor in chief, I intend to expand our mediums and develop our relationship with students, faculty, staff, alumni and by extension, the greater El Paso region.

Prior to writing this, we recently reached 3,000 followers on Instagram and our website engagement is slowly, but surely growing.

Although we have rolled back our physical issues, we are as visible and engaged as we ever have been on our website.

We have journeyed into utilizing more multimedia content to tell the stories we know our community will engage with. With emphasis on video and now audio mediums we hope that our readers will be as informed as they can be about everything UTEP and El Paso.

Everything I have done and will continue to do as editor is not for myself or my personal gain, but it’s for my staff and our community. It is what I was taught, and it is what I will continue to teach my staff.

Moving into my next chapter in life, I am not too sure what to expect. I am not dead set on a certain medium or market. I would, however, want to come back to El Paso and report as a border correspondent to larger outlets like NPR or the Texas Tribune.

Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela Armendariz is the editor-in-chief and may be reached at [email protected]: @rivasemmanuel2 on Instagram.