This article was originally posted at hussman.unc.edu.
When she arrived at UNC, Visiting Professor of the Practice Leyla Santiago chose to revive Carolina Ahora, the only Spanglish digital newscast offered at UNC through the Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Carolina Ahora debuted in 2016, providing news-of-day content and covering issues impacting the Latinx community. However, due to the pandemic, the program went on a three-year hiatus. Santiago, with the help of her students, brought the program back in the fall of 2023 for a two or three episode “pilot,” as Santiago describes it.
“I can’t even take credit for that,” Santiago said. “It’s the students.”
The Carolina Ahora revival started when a couple of students from Santiago’s special topics lecture, “MEJO 490: Covering and Engaging Latinx Communities,” and “MEJO 522: Carolina Week” showed an interest in a Spanglish newscast, and it has since developed into the stand-alone class, “MEJO 390: Rise and Shine/Carolina Ahora.”
With increasing student interest and engagement and support from UNC Hussman Dean Raul Reis, the program continues to grow.
“Our students are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Leyla to learn from such an accomplished professional journalist with deep experience covering Latin American communities and issues,” said Reis. “I know Leyla embraces her role as a mentor and teacher, bringing an energy and commitment to students that matches their desire to create new spaces for dialogue around growing communities that are so vital to our campus and state.”
“We’re filling a void,” Santiago said when speaking about the culture of the newscast. “This generation, like me, actually speaks more Spanglish than Spanish.” She explained how it allows for those who want to take part in targeting these communities or who want more representation and voice in this type of coverage to be involved in the process.
Santiago’s main focus is to foster the growth of mentorship and representation in the community, with an emphasis on building strong connections.
“This is why you need people of all walks of life, so that they can be the voice and more than likely bring some of those voices in. Otherwise, you don’t see yourself represented,” Santiago said. She also emphasized that she is drawn to be a mentor because she sees pieces of herself in these young students, explaining how the lack of Latinx representation she had in her mentorship as a student and early career inspired her to be a mentor for these students.
Carolina Ahora Executive Producer Elaine Jimenez ’26 talked about the impact the show has had on her.
“I want to focus on minority communities and helping the Hispanic community. Being able to use the Curtis Media Center studio space and having Carolina Ahora as a class is amazing, especially because it was very small prior. I think if it continues to be a class, it will expand and grow,” Jimenez said.
Sophia Pedroso ’25, the show’s director, also spoke of how being part of Carolina Ahora helped her reclaim certain aspects of her culture and identity. She explained that having this space made her feel good giving back to the community that has given much to her identity and experiences.
“We have all heard the phrase ‘open the door for someone else’ or ‘open the door for someone else and reach back.’ I just don’t think that’s enough,” Santiago said. “I think we have to open the door, reach back, pull and don’t let the handle go.”
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Carolina Ahora’s newscast is housed under the Carolina Week YouTube channel. New episodes are set to be released weekly.