Pursuing a dream through the Journalists of Color training program

Jazmin Alvarado found her passion for journalism at Fresno High School. 

“I love writing and giving a voice to the diverse community. I love hearing people talk about my stories or people reaching out to me for coverage on something,” said Alvarado. “It shows how I am making an impact and that I am someone people feel they can trust with their stories.”

That taste in high school gave her direction, and a career as a journalist, a writer for a major newspaper or a television anchor, became her ultimate goal. While a senior at Fresno High School, her English and Journalism teacher, Mianne Sciacqua, told her she was an ideal candidate for the Journalist of Color (JOC) Training Program.

“My senior year of high school, I took Journalism II, and since I had grown very close to the teacher, she knew my career goals and brought the program to my attention,” said Alvarado. “She said I was the perfect candidate and encouraged me to apply, so I did. I was accepted into the program in September of 2021.”

Now at Fresno State, Alvarado is majoring in Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) with the broadcast and multi-platform journalism option and pursuing a minor in Spanish.

The JOC program was established by the Media Institute at Fresno State and includes the journalism programs at Fresno City College and Fresno State and The kNOw Youth Media as partners. The kNOw works under the Youth Leadership Institute.

“I’ve been able to get involved in other programs with the Youth Leadership Institute, and I have written several articles for The kNOw Youth Media,” said Alvarado.

Through The kNOw Youth Media, Alvarado has covered Fresno Unified’s first Latinx Graduation ceremony and the passing of the Neng Thao Drowning Prevention Bill. She even traveled to the state capitol to meet and interview the First Partner of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, at a mental health press conference.

Kathleen Schock, a Fresno City College journalism instructor and JOC steering committee member said the program offers a “life-changing educational opportunity for local students” and gives them a gateway into a career in journalism.

“As the program continues to expand, we are building a pipeline of journalists who are well-trained, experienced, diverse, and ready to tell the stories of the Central Valley with nuance and cultural sensitivity,” Schock said.

The JOC program is currently training 18 student journalists and is now adding a fourth cohort of aspiring journalists. 

“Throughout my time in the program so far, I have learned about digital and print journalism, broadcast journalism, and now this year, we are focusing on radio journalism,” said Alvarado. “We’ve gone on several tours of TV stations and radio stations, and I have been able to make great connections with well-known journalists such as Graciela Moreno and Jessica Harrington.”

The students are paid $300 monthly during the academic year and can stay in the program for up to five years, from their senior year in high school through four years of college. 

An added benefit for Alvarado is she has been able to continue honing her journalistic skills while completing her general education requirements during her first couple of years in college. 

“I was able to get involved with organizations like The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper because I had those experiences behind me. What I lacked in classes because of my age, I made up for with this program,” Alvarado said. 

Currently in her third semester at the Collegian, she now serves as the newspaper’s news editor – a substantial accomplishment for a sophomore.

“I think that if I didn’t have the experience that I came in with, I’d barely be starting out.”

Recently, the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State was awarded a $201,000 grant to continue its visionary JOC training program. The California Endowment grant will help fortify the ongoing success of its pioneering journalism training program.

Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State, praised the financial commitment of The California Endowment to supporting diverse journalism in the San Joaquin Valley.

“We are so grateful to the California Endowment for this generous grant enabling Jim Boren’s visionary Journalists of Color program to flourish,” Chapman said. “Thanks to this support, Fresno State will continue amplifying the voices of the next generation of ethical journalists who will surely strengthen our Valley and nation with their stories.”

Jim Boren, the media institute’s executive director, said the latest grant will serve as a financial cornerstone for the JOC program.

“This grant will help ensure the program’s success well into the future and will enable us to not only support individual talents but also build a lasting journalism infrastructure that fosters a rich tapestry of voices in the San Joaquin Valley,” Boren said.

This is the second California Endowment grant for the JOC program. It is also supported through funding from the James B. McClatchy Foundation, Microsoft and the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State.

Alvarado plans to graduate in the spring of 2026. While the goal of the Journalism of Color program is to fill local newsrooms with reporters who better reflect and represent the diverse communities of the Central Valley, she is unsure.

“I am a bit torn between staying close to home and giving back to my community, or starting somewhere new to try and make a larger impact. I am very family-oriented, and I cannot imagine not being close to my family, which makes the decision a lot harder. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to travel, experience new things and write. I always want to write,” Alvarado said.

High school students interested in the Journalist of Color program should contact Johnsen Del Rosario at jdelrosario@yli.org or Daniel Gonzalez at dgonzalez@yli.org. The students are paid $300 monthly during the academic year and can stay in the program for up to five years, from their senior year in high school through four years of college. Students write and create multimedia news projects for The kNOw, a platform that has been helping train young journalists since 2006 to tell stories about their communities.