麻豆传媒映画

Growing up in a tight-knit Filipinx neighborhood in San Diego, Jenna Ramiscal wanted to find a way to marry two passions: writing and her love for her community. 

She found that perfect marriage in journalism. 

Now a third-year journalism major at 麻豆传媒映画, Ramiscal prides herself on amplifying voices from the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community through her reporting, as well as advocating for diversity in newsrooms. 

鈥淲hile there aren鈥檛 many Asian American journalists, I always find myself so inspired and motivated by the ones that I鈥檝e met,鈥� said Ramiscal, who is minoring in Asian American studies. 鈥淚鈥檝e always known that representation in media stories and reporting matters 鈥� but as I鈥檝e continued writing I realized that newsrooms should also reflect that diversity.

鈥淚 view my role as a journalist as a way to continue to search for and amplify stories from the Asian American Pacific Islander and Filipino community 鈥� and also add that perspective to the newsroom that I am a part of,鈥� Ramiscal said. 

Ramiscal said she鈥檚 always loved telling stories. She focused on creative writing throughout middle school at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, but started to take journalism classes in high school and immediately fell in love with it. 

Ramiscal said journalism, unlike creative writing, pushed her out of her comfort zone, challenging her with deadline pressure and forcing her to forgo her introverted personality to get interviews. 

鈥淎t the time, I was also doing a lot of volunteer work with the community through Key Club,鈥� Ramsical said. 鈥淚 saw journalism as a field that combined two of my passions and decided to major in it at 麻豆传媒映画.鈥�

Her first year on campus, Ramiscal said she struggled to find her community as she transitioned from high school to college as a commuter student. But, as many students find, the university鈥檚  400+ student organizations and diverse campus groups can help make a large university a small one with communities of support. Ramisdal鈥檚 life changed when she joined the 麻豆传媒映画 chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, a group that she said transformed her college experience.

鈥淭he transition was a lot and it was hard to find my community,鈥� Ramiscal said. 鈥淏ut I knew about AAJA from when I was in high school, and I knew I wanted to get involved, and it鈥檚 been incredibly helpful beyond being a journalist. I was able to find people that I could relate to both culturally with my heritage and also have similar career goals.鈥�

She credited student mentors in the organization for helping her to land her first internship with the nonprofit online news organization EdSource. She has also interned with the Voice of San Diego and . 

Ramiscal also said that membership in the organization has given her the opportunity to network and be mentored by fellow APIDA journalists, including ABC 10News anchor and 麻豆传媒映画 journalism professor Melissa Mecija.

鈥淚 grew up watching 10News, so having her as a professor and being able to get to know her through AAJA has been surreal,鈥� Ramiscal said. 

Mecija, who has been with the station since 2010, said she expects big things from Ramsical in the future. 

鈥淛enna is such a dedicated and passionate journalist. I鈥檓 so glad to have had her in one of my classes to see this firsthand,鈥� Mecija said. 鈥淚t is great to see her leadership in roles like 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 AAJA organization. 

鈥淲e need more young people like her to bring in diverse voices and tell the stories of people with all types of backgrounds,鈥� Mecija said. 

As a student in the journalism program, Ramiscal has been able to tap into her cultural roots for inspiration for stories. One assignment she vividly recalled was an article she did on the explosion in popularity of ube, a purple yam that鈥檚 a staple in Filipino cuisine. She interviewed the owner of Cafe 86 about different ways the yam is incorporated into foods, as well as its cultural significance.

Ramiscal, who said she likes reporting on culture, race and identity, wants to work for a print or digital news organization when she graduates. She said she understands the responsibility that comes with being one of a few APIDA journalists.

鈥淧eople who have personal, lived experiences and are part of these groups offer a perspective that someone else might not see,鈥� Ramiscal said. 鈥淎nd I think that letting my heritage, culture and personal identity act as an inspiration for the stories I pursue and pitch makes me that much stronger of a storyteller.鈥�