Letter from the La DePaulia Editor: Our team is committed to uplifting Chicago’s underrepresented communities

Alondra M. Castañeda, La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief • January 13, 2025

Introducing La DePaulia’s 2025 editorial team.

When I first joined La DePaulia in the 2024 Winter quarter, I had no idea the tremendous impact it would have on my life.

I was in my freshman year at DePaul, barely adjusting to living my first year and a half in Chicago, having previously moved from Indiana as a mother of two. My Journalism 275 professor—Sandra Guy—had encouraged the class to get involved in student media and I thought, “Sure, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Three quarters later, I’m writing to you as the new editor-in-chief of this wonderful publication! Thinking ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ turned out to be the best thing that happened to me in my career at DePaul.

From having the first story I ever wrote for La DePaulia published on two of Chicago’s major news media outlets, to sharing countless moments of joy and laughter in our tiny newsroom with our team—writing for this publication has brought so much joy. It brought opportunities for us to immerse ourselves in creativity that only fuels us to become better journalists for Chicago’s marginalized communities.

I’ve always believed each of us holds a special and important story we must all share with the world one day and as it turns out, this is the perfect place to do that. It is our utmost pride as a collegiate publication to share the voices of those who need to be heard. As an immigrant myself, coming to the US at the age of three—nothing is more important than shedding a light on my cultura and its beautiful people.

I am thankful for the amazing friendships and bonds I’ve been able to share with our team and our efforts in coming together to amplify the voices of our neighborhoods, our culture, and our roots here in the city of Chicago. Thanks to the expertise of our advisors: Laura Rodríguez Presa and Martha Irvine, we have learned how to accurately convey the stories of our communities in a compassionate and respectful way.

I would also like to thank my former Editor-in-Chief, Alyssa N. Salcedo for giving me this opportunity to share my love for writing and for inspiring our incredible staff members: Nupur Bosmiya, Rodolfo Zagal, Emily Diaz, Riley Sommers, Laura Vázquez David, Agustin Alamo, Sofia Joseph and Damaris Rodriguez—to curate meaningful & impactful stories. I am filled with gratitude knowing that I can share a space with people who speak my native language and possess my same love for writing.

I’m proud to say our La DePaulia team has had multiple wins this year; such as winning awards from the Associated Collegiate Press. Continuing our partnership with NBC and Telemundo Chicago’s digital news team has also given our reporters the unique opportunity to get their articles republished on the platforms, thus expanding our readership. It allows our reporters to share more stories centered around Latine, Black, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and several other communities across the city.

One of my goals in the incoming years of publication is to grow our following on social media and carefully curate interesting stories, along with compelling multimedia, to increase our readership.

Our goal is to create a space for under-represented groups and make them feel secure enough to share their stories in order to bring awareness to the prejudices they may be facing in their communities and uplift the successes of community members.

We remain committed to using “Latine,” a gender-neutral and inclusive term, to refer to members of our community, while still respecting a source’s choice to be called Latina, Latino, Latinx, Chicano, Chicana or Hispanic.

I’m sure there is much more expansion and success in the future here at La DePaulia and I can’t wait to see where that will take us! As Editor-in-Chief, I’m excited to introduce to you La DePaulia’s 2025 editorial team:

Headshot of Alyssa N. Salcedo. (Jacqueline Cardenas)

Alyssa N. Salcedo (She/Her):

Title: Former La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief, La DePaulia News Editor

Hello, I’m Alyssa! I’m a bilingual investigative data journalist pursuing my master’s at DePaul. I’m passionate about data-driven investigative reporting and covering local news! I was born in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic but immigrated to the U.S. when I was five. I love writing stories about the Latine community, and other cultures different from my own! I’m honored and thrilled to be passing the editor-in-chief role on to Alondra, and excited to step into my role as La DePaulia’s news editor!

Nupur Bosmiya (she/they):

Title: La DePaulia Managing Editor

Hello, I’m Nupur! I’m a graduate student at DePaul studying journalism and looking forward to covering arts, culture, and entertainment after graduating. With La DePaulia, I hope to support journalists in their writing process and uplift voices from the Latine community. If I am not severely googling a new internet phenomenon, I am probably catching up on some cinema.

Headshot of Emily Diaz. (Alyssa N. Salcedo)

Emily Diaz (she/they):

Title: La DePaulia Arts and Life Editor

Hello, I’m Emily. I have a BA in communication studies from DePaul and am wrapping up my master’s in PR and advertising this June. I’m excited to be the new Arts & Life editor here. I believe art is a catalyst for free speech and social justice. I’m excited to inspire these beliefs again this year and highlight empowered individuals.

Laura Vázquez David (she/her):

Title: La DePaulia Social Media Editor

Hello, I’m Laura! I’m a bilingual sports journalist from Puerto Rico currently pursuing my master’s degree in Sports Journalism and Latino Communication and Media at DePaul University. I have a B.A. in Information and Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras campus. I have a passion for sports and storytelling, and I’ve covered various sporting events, like the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and athletes, bringing a fresh perspective to the Field.