Claudia Cruz was born in Harlem Hospital when New York City was burning in the late 1970s and lived in a tenement building in the Washington Heights/Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan. Her single Dominican mother – who didn’t finish high school in her country – worked in the garment district and as a janitor at JFK airport. 

Noticing the dense and impoverished surroundings of her upbringing encouraged Cruz to work hard for scholarships that would get her a private high school and afterward college. She attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut and double-majored in International Relations and Latin American Studies. Cruz also earned a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and a Masters from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. For almost two decades she’s used all of this experience to promote Latinos, their issues and stories in the news media regardless of the platform or the region of the U.S. or the world. Most recently, Cruz served as a technology reporter for CNET en Español. 

At UNR, Cruz aims to continue to have a positive impact on the number of students who enter journalism and who choose to communicate with Latinos as managing editor of Noticiero Móvil and director of the internship program at the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Oscar Martinez is a born and raised New Yorker from Long Island who moved to Reno to pursue graduate school. Martinez’s profound interest in multimedia dates back to the video production course he took in high school. Martinez described the class as fun, and he praised it for his experience in the creation of media.

After he obtained his degree in journalism from SUNY Old Westbury, Martinez hoped to bring awareness to his community on topics such as immigration or relating to science. Martinez, now at the Reynolds School of Journalism, uses his bilingual skills to reach a larger audience with Noticiero Móvil.

Martinez’s favorite Latino celebrity is Lin-Manuel Miranda, a fellow New Yorker and multimedia artist, best known for “Hamilton.” Seeing how Miranda incorporates his culture into his work moves Martinez to use other platforms to do the same. Martinez has yet to taste a pupusa in Reno that emulates the amazing flavors of his hometown.

Alexa Manriquez was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and lived in the Southern Highlands community. Manriquez graduated from Desert Oasis High School in 2021, where she was a member of her high school news outlet, Desert Illustrated. 

After graduating high school, Manriquez pursued higher education in journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Manriquez’s passion for media production flourished at the Reynolds School of Journalism where she completed a course in advanced media production and completed two mini-documentaries and one short film. She found her love working with cameras and editing within the production chaos. Manriquez will graduate with an emphasis in film and media production in May 2025. Upon graduating, Manriquez hopes to gain employment as an editor. 

Manriquez’s favorite Latine celebrity is Jenna Ortega because of the actress’s impressive film repertoire. As a member of Noticiero Móvil, she wants to continue to hone her production skills and grow her field reporting resume.

Alejandro Cruz was born in the pueblo of Tomatlan, located in Jalisco, Mexico. He arrived in the U.S. when he was just 2-years-old ready to embrace the opportunities of new life in America.

Now a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno, Cruz is majoring in sociology and Spanish with a particular interest in politics and film.  Cruz is passionate about reshaping how the Latino community is portrayed in the media.

Inspired by the actor Gael Garcia Bernal, Cruz hopes to produce and amplify his works through his creative mindset. Cruz is a founder of his own film company, The Good Good Film Company which has its first short film in the works.Cruz serves as the vice president of Dua Pack, an on-campus organization that advocates for immigrant rights on campus. Cruz’s works reflect a powerful drive for social change and equity.

Bruno Macias made his move to Reno to begin his academic journey three years ago. Macias was born in South Lake Tahoe and has lived most of his life in Stateline, NV, describing it as a small community where people “know about you one way or another.” Macias feels slightly the same about Reno, but believes there is possibly more opportunities here for him in the Biggest Little City in the World than at home

Macias is majoring in finance, is a member of the multicultural Greek council and was the former president of Lambda Theta Phi. He finds it crucial to balance the practical with his creative pursuits. At his core, Macias is aiming to own his own record label one day as he is most passionate about music production. 

Macias is aware of the danger and challenges that impact the Mexican-American experience and is excited to conduct interviews in Spanish for Noticiero Móvil this class. Macias enjoys music like Mexican and Chicano rap as well as Vicente Fernández.

Genevy Machuca is a Salvadoran-American born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. A sophomore at the University of Nevada, Reno, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and journalism, with an emphasis in news and broadcasting. Machuca is passionate about staying connected to her Salvadorean roots and being able to share stories from Hispanic communities that usually go untold. Machua’s goal is to break the barriers between language and build a bridge between cultures.

Machuca loves playing basketball, taking photos to save her memories with friends and family, drawing, and considers herself “a big foodie” her favorite home meal being ceviche.

Clarissa Vazquez is a passionate public relations and Spanish media student at the University of Nevada, Reno. Originally born in Los Angeles, Vazquez moved to Chicago before settling in Reno in the fourth grade. Vazquez’s love for journalism began in high school, fueling her aspirations to work on campaigns that celebrate and uplift the Hispanic community.

Outside of her studies, Vazquez enjoys reading, journaling, and watching movies. She admires celebrities like Selena Gomez and Zack de la Rocha for using their platforms to empower the Latino community. Her go-to comfort foods? A classic burrito with a refreshing horchata.

Zoe Cruz hails from Fort Mill, South Carolina and graduated from Fort Mill High School in 2017, She is currently a junior at the University of Nevada, Reno and is pursuing a dual major in Spanish and journalism. With this, she hopes to pursue a career in a non-profit media job. Cruz’s ultimate dream job would be to work on a non-profit investigative journalism team.

As a dual major, Cruz is taking classes such as Latinos Through the Eyes of the Media, so far her personal favorite. However, her interests go well beyond schooling. When it comes to popular Latino/a celebrities, her favorite is comedian Aubrey Plaza.

Cruz is heavily engaged within her community. When asked, she will tell you that her personal experiences have led her to want to make a difference within her community, or “flip the script”. Cruz is set to graduate in May 2026 from the UNR.

Alessandro Guzman is a third year at the Reynolds School of Journalism with an emphasis in sports media. As a general sports fanatic from Mesquite, Nevada, Guzman’s particular interest in golf began at a young age. With Noticiero Móvil, Guzman intends to make the jump from “journalism student” to “journalist” and dive head first into the world of sports journalism. 

In his free time, Guzman immerses himself in the world of crypto and self-improvement books. While he may now live in Reno, the voice of Vicente Fernández and the taste of tinga will always remind Guzman of home.

Daisy Gomez is a second-generation Latina from the Bay Area, born in Walnut Creek, CA. Gomez’s emphasis at the Reynolds School of Journalism is broadcasting. The reason why she chose journalism and decided to be more involved in bilingual-journalism is because she believes that the Latin/Hispanic community deserves the coverage and resources that other communities receive. Gomez thinks it’s important to have connections with this community because they have such an impactful presence in society as well. 

Gomez’s favorite Latin celebrity and musician is Rauw Alejandro because she believes that his presence in the Latin community is inspiring. He has recently launched the Fundación Proyecto PaMaRa, a Puerto Rican based foundation, with his mom and sister to support the youth as they achieve their aspirations in arts, sports, and nature. A few of Gomez’s favorite Latin comfort foods are gallo pinto, nacatamales, tostones, and empanadillas thanks to her Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican roots.

Mayra Gonzalez is a born and raised resident of Reno; her main goal in journalism is creating films of all kinds. Gonzalez began her journalism career in high school where she was offered a course in video production that sparked her passion for filmmaking. Once Gonzalez graduated high school, she went to Truckee Meadows Community College and earned her Associate of Arts degree before transferring to University of Nevada, Reno to pursue journalism.

Gonzalez says she is very happy with the program at UNR as she felt like real journalism studies were something lacking at TMCC. Gonzalez is excited to finally showcase her filmmaking skills. Gonzalez’s favorite Latino celebrity is none other than the famous Mexican singer and songwriter, Juan Gabriel. Some of her favorite Latin foods include mole and ceviche.

Juliet Ojeda was born and raised in Reno, Nevada and is a junior majoring in journalism and Spanish with an emphasis in film and media production at the University of Nevada, Reno. Ojeda is passionate about bilingual and Latino-centric journalism, especially after growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and now embracing a stronger cultural identity in college. 

Inspired by her love for her Mexican roots, Ojeda admires Becky G for her cultural connection and representation. Ojeda dreams of creating movies, editing for companies and being able to report on international stories. In her downtime, Ojeda enjoys true crime, horror, podcasts, writing and cooking. Especially when it involves her favorite comfort food, pozole verde, which reminds her of her mom’s home cooked meals.