By Andrea Lopez
The Long Beach State campus is known for its diverse and inclusive campus, which has been a factor in the pursuit of higher education for many students.
In the Journalism and Public Relations Department alone, there are several inclusive and diverse associations for student journalists to be a part of.
National Association of Hispanic Journalists is a resource available to Latinx students in the department. Within the group, students are able to be involved in the CSULB chapter of NAHJ to gain knowledge and support from guest speakers, including Rolling Stone magazine and ABC7 Los Angeles. A resume workshop is underway this spring for the association and its members.
Being part of the association has given Cassidy Reyna, CSULB NAHJ president, a sense of community, making sure that they never feel alone in their college journey.
Long Beach, Calif - President of NAHJ chapter at CSULB, Cassidy Reyna, aims to provide a supportive environment for Hispanic journalists and guide them through their journey as professional journalists. Photo credit: Andrea Lopez
“As someone who’s always struggled to find their place, my goal as president is to provide a safe space for all members to know that no journey is linear and it’s never easy,” said Reyna. “But having people who support you and are in a similar situation can make a huge difference.”
National Association of Black Journalists is also offered to Black student journalists interested in furthering their careers within the journalism field. The association holds biweekly meetings on campus and is preparing to host panels with professionals in the JPR industry.
Current president of NABJ, Jada Knight, emphasizes the inclusivity that the association promotes in order to recruit not only Black students, but students of different backgrounds as well.
Long Beach, Calif - Jada Knight, president of NABJ chapter at CSULB, works to give Black journalists opportunities to become successful in their field. Photo credit: Andrea Lopez
“Our club is welcoming to everyone regardless of demographic and major. For those who would like to join, we will be at Week of Welcome this semester,” said Knight. “Feel free to stop by and follow our socials. You can also email us if you’d like to get involved.”
Knight’s goal is to usher Black journalism and public relations students to help them pursue their goals and reverse the negative narrative distributed by the media. Knight explained that seeing Black journalists in the professional field is encouraging because they often have to work harder in order to get to where their peers are.
Before becoming president of the chapter last semester, Knight was elected to serve as the vice president of the association in the spring of 2022.
Asian American Journalists Association is also offered to student journalists in the JPR department. Similarly, one of AAJA’s main goals is to eventually see more equitable diversity within news. Their innovation comes with support for members of the association, seminars and trainings.
Current president and founder of the AAJA chapter at CSULB, Raya Torres, made it her mission to include the Asian-American population at Long Beach State into the journalism department.
Long Beach, Calif - Raya Torres, president of AAJA chapter at CSULB, aims to bring Asian American journalists together so they can learn from one another and those that came before. Photo credit: Andrea Lopez
“We want to be able to provide a space for Asian-American journalists on campus, to collaborate, and to come together and to learn from each other, and to also learn from professionals,” said Torres. “So that they know that it’s not impossible for us to succeed in the career that we want.”
Established in the spring of 2021, AAJA is a newest student chapter on campus. Torres stated that as a new student in 2020, there wasn’t a safe space for Asian American students to talk about issues that needed to be talked about.
Torres wants to “make sure that students know that these careers are possible and that careers in the journalism field are possible for people who look like us.”
The goal of the associations is to bring recognition to students within the clubs and bring in journalists to speak and network with them. From workshops to seminars, these chapters offer various forms of resources and support for journalists of color.
To follow their social media and get involved, follow their accounts @csulbnahj, @nabjcsulb and @aaja_csulb.
