Hi everyone, my name is Jonathan Muñoz and I was part of the first ever graduating class of Hialeah Gardens High School, Class of 2011 (which no matter what anyone says about being the best or not, no other class will ever have that title). ANYWAYS!
College is an interesting conundrum, you will never have so much yet so little time in any other time of your life. It's a paradox that only college brings you. Yes you get to pick your schedule and get to only take four classes if you want, but you'll soon see that with everything you end up doing while you're in college you'll have even less time than you did in high school.
Before I talk about what I'm doing now, let's start from after graduation 3 years ago (wow, it's really been that long already). After I was handed my diploma I started the next fall at the Honors College at Miami Dade College. Personally it was the best decision ever, because I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do and I didn't want to start at a more expensive school for nothing. When I graduated I initially wanted to be a lawyer before deciding that before law school I would get a degree in Public Relations.
And that was my plan until I had this amazing experience to go one week to Washington, D.C. as part of a program of the Honors College. There I spent a week seeing how media and politics coexisted. Now, you have to remember this was 2012 , the start of the primary season and me not wanting to seem ignorant I started watching cable news in order to not sound like I was completely out of it. That along with a week in D.C. changed me. All throughout high school I was waiting for something to hit me and let me know this is what I want to do with my life. Safe to say it never came until that time.
The week I got back, I went to my advisor and told her I wanted to change my track to Journalism (which since it was all under the umbrella of Mass Communication, it really didn't matter on paper). I joined The Reporter, Miami Dade College's Student newspaper and began writing briefs. I worked my way up to Forum Section Editor where I had the chance to spend five days in New York City as part of a conference. Literally 5 minute walk one way to Central Park, and five minute walk the opposite way to Time Square, where I toured the CNN building, saw the ABC headquarters and got to see Rockefeller Plaza.
And so, the time came to transfer from Miami Dade, and I applied to schools I never saw myself. Emerson College (Boston), Northwestern (Chicago), NYU (New York City), USC (Los Angeles), UNC (Chapel Hill) American University (Washington, D.C) and UF (Gainesville) were just some of the colleges that I applied to and got in. Financial and personal reason lead me to the University of Florida, but regardless I had the chance to go anywhere.
So that brings us to this past year, my first year up here at the University of Florida, on track to complete my Bachelors in Telecommunications. Through the school of Communication I've been able to get real world experience as a radio reporter for WUFT-FM the NPR affiliate on North Central Florida and even got a few chances to anchor their hourly newscasts and their weekday 30 minute news program Front Page as part of NPR's All Things Considered.
As a part time job, I freelance for a website called VOXXI, and have written over 100 stories for them (and gotten paid for them, most importantly). Some of my work has even been featured on the Latino Voices section of the Huffington Post (yes THE Huffington Post!). I've had the chance to interview an actress from Fruitvale Station, teen pop singer Matt Hunter, and had a phone interview with Mario Lopez about his new show on NUVOtv.
This summer I'm interning here in Miami, at Fusion, the ABC/Univision joint venture cable new channel, aimed at the millennial generation. I've even written some things for THEIR website already.
Next fall? I'd hoping to become one of the producers and anchors of Front Page (the radio news show I filled in for once or twice, this spring) where this time I'll be the one running the shows with a team of radio reporters. I'll begin with television stories and producing packages for the TV station, whereby the spring I'll be a TV reporter for the PBS affiliate. And lastly, I'll be producing new cut ins for TV and for the web called 'News in 90' where I hope to anchor them by spring.
Career goals? Help with the change in news media, and be at the forefront of the changing media landscape. While others will cling to the past, I want to be the future.
So here's the moral of the story: If you'd told me three years ago I'd be on my way to becoming a multimedia journalist, working with radio, TV, and online content, interning at a channel owned by Disney and Univision, and having my work featured on the largest Internet newspaper out there --- I would have thought there's no way!
If you don't have it all figured out, it's fine. Actually it's expected. You're not the same person you're going to be when you get to college, and college will change you. Opportunities will present themselves to you when you least expect it.
Put it this way. When I was a senior at HGHS, there was one major Florida university I didn't apply to saying to myself "even if I get in I'm not going to go." That university was UF, the one I'm a year from graduating. Life's funny ain't it!
You guys are free to ask me anything, and if you have questions feel free to ask, about whatever. You can follow me on Twitter @JonathanMNews
Website
GO GLADIATORS!
