国产传媒

If you鈥檇 like to look deeply into two of Latin America鈥檚 diverse cultures, check out the website for some recent articles by Vianna Villacorta 鈥�21.

She joined Latina Republic as an intern in the fall of 2020 to fulfill a requirement for her bachelor鈥檚 in Spanish studies with an emphasis on translation and interpretation. As a correspondent for the nonprofit, she researched and wrote feature stories that explored the of COVID-19 on Haiti, surveyed the cultural of Haiti and described practices of spiritual in Bolivia.

鈥淚 chose to write about Haiti because although it鈥檚 part of Latin America, a lot of people don鈥檛 speak about it, because it鈥檚 tiny and they don鈥檛 speak Spanish there,鈥� says Villacorta. She found Haiti fascinating, but for her third article she decided to focus on a Spanish-speaking country and chose Bolivia. 鈥淚 came across some of the indigenous culture there, and I was really intrigued by that, too.鈥�

The U.S.-born daughter of a mother from Mexico and a father from El Salvador, Villacorta has absorbed a good deal of Latinx culture. She鈥檚 made numerous trips to family in Mexico and visited Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua as a tourist. But her parents didn鈥檛 teach her to speak Spanish. That gap is part of what drew her to her major.

鈥淎s I got older and started college, I wanted to embrace my Spanish culture and heritage,鈥� Villacorta says. 鈥淚 think that by pursuing this major and this path, I鈥檒l be able to find myself, and find my own identity.鈥�

Although Latina Republic publishes in English, and Villacorta wrote her stories in that language, she used Spanish exclusively when she worked with her mentor at the organization, as he was Chilean and didn鈥檛 really speak English.

As Villacorta heads toward the next step in her career, with plans to pursue an MBA, she expects her language skills to play a significant role. 鈥淚 want to do global leadership,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ith my background in Spanish, I want to be able to do intercultural communications, in areas such as marketing.鈥� Of course, she adds, other options she discovers in graduate school might pique her interest as well.

Besides exploring her identity and potential career paths, Villacorta says that thanks to her internship she has also been finding her own voice and building self-confidence. 鈥淲riting for Latina Republic made me more self-aware about what I want to do and become,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen you go into a career or job, you need to know who you are and what you have to offer.鈥�