By Ximena Loeza
Imposter syndrome can be your biggest enemy in journalism. I applied to the California Local News Fellowship more than a year ago alongside some of my friends and peers and at the insistence of my Journalism professor and mentor at San Francisco State University, Josh Davis.
I didn’t think I would be selected, especially in comparison to my other talented and more experienced friends who applied. But if there’s one thing I have learned in my early journalism career, it is that there’s no harm in trying. And being able to tell my immigrant father that I was selected for this life-changing fellowship will forever be ingrained in my memories.
Booth offering free photos at an outdoor event. Photo by Ximena Loeza
At the fellowship orientation, I sat in a room full of talented journalists, and I wondered how I landed in the same position. And then our fellowship manager, Ekene Okobi, began her intro to the fellows. As if she was reading my mind, she said, “You are all meant to be here. You were chosen for a reason.”
As I’ve been working with the amazing team at El Tímpano, a nonprofit news organization focused on community-powered reporting for the Latinx and Mayan communities of the East Bay, I slowly realize every day that I am meant to be where I am. Being able to work with a team of almost all Latinas and women has been a dream come true. Every day I learn something new from my team and from my editors, and they continue to uplift and remind me that I am capable, knowledgeable and talented. I’ve been able to learn more about reporting on vulnerable, immigrant communities, prioritizing community-focused reporting, utilizing community outreach in my reporting and taking advantage of El Tímpano’s SMS platform to be able to directly connect with our audience.
An altar featuring framed photographs of loved ones, colorful decorations, and traditional offerings. Photo by Ximena Loeza
But the greatest privilege I’ve had while working at El Tímpano has been connecting with the Latinx community in Contra Costa County, which is the focus of my reporting. Sitting right outside the greater Bay Area, the community living in this county are frequently forgotten and silenced. And being able to give these communities the voice they desperately want has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I’m born and raised in the Bay Area, but never experienced much of Contra Costa County. This community has welcomed me with open arms and gratitude, happy to have someone to talk to who looks like them and talks like them and can report on issues directly affecting their lives. The community I cover affirms these words for me: ‘You were chosen for a reason.’