Why FSU?

I chose FSU because growing up my father, who was from the Dominican Republic, was an avid fan of the Seminoles! I’ve always looked at FSU as one of the most prestigious schools in Florida, and many people look at FSU similarly. I remember my father always talking about Florida State, and when it came time to choose a school, I knew I wanted to be a Seminole!

Why a graduate degree?

I was very interested in communications and digital media production; however, I wasn’t able to enter the highly selective program during my undergraduate career and instead pursued a bachelor’s in Spanish. I took some of the undergraduate communication courses and attempted to double major. That did not work, but it did set me up for having many of the required prerequisite courses. Thanks to the guidance from one of the communication professors, Dr. Davis Houck, I realized I could apply to enter the School of Communication via the graduate school route. I decided to give it a try and was accepted!

The importance of your research or work in action

Since entering the field of communication and learning how to document stories in digital media format, I’ve really focused on covering injustices in marginalized communities. As a Black Hispanic growing up in an impoverished neighborhood to immigrant parents, I’ve learned to appreciate diversity and recognize unique stories of triumph over tribulations. My research focuses on seeking out these unique, often untold stories, and documenting them in new media technology including documentary film and web-based applications. After obtaining my master’s, I decided to continue to pursue my doctorate degree. I am the first person in my family to attend college, so I wanted to set a good example for my daughter, nieces, and nephews about the importance of education.

My research is based in critical theory, rhetoric, and media production. More specifically, I focus on the visual rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement, looking at who was represented as well as whose voices were left out of the story. It is my goal through my research to highlight marginalized voices of instrumental figures who participated in the movement but may not be as popular as Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. Hidden in archives across this country is the story of Black struggle, resistance, and resilience. My research endeavor is to bring Black history out of the archives and tell it in new media formats that will interest people of all races and work toward challenging and exposing the social and historical constraints that minority citizens faced in this country. In addition, my research is based in searching out new technological advancements, equipment, and software programs and learning to use them in innovative and creative ways to tell these stories and advance the discourse in an exponentially growing, technology-driven society.

In 2015, for instance, Dr. Houck and I partnered with Google and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi to develop a smartphone app documenting more than fifty locations related to the murder of Emmett Till, whose lynching in 1955 made him an icon of the civil rights movement. I photographed places in the Mississippi Delta instrumental in the case and made the content available on Field Trip, a location-based mobile app that operates like a virtual tour guide. We also put together a website, the Emmett Till Memory Project, featuring all of the locations and helping people learn more about Emmett Till.

Advice for Hispanic students considering graduate school as a viable option

At first, graduate school seemed a daunting undertaking. Just studying for the GRE and taking the exam seemed an impossible task. However, my advice for Hispanic students who wish to pursue graduate degrees is to just go for it! Study for the GRE, take the test, and apply! You never know what’s possible until you do. I also learned that there are many individuals, professors, secretaries, academic advisors, counselors, and so on at FSU who really care about your future and are willing to help guide you and mentor you. I had to ask a million questions throughout the process, but there was always someone there to help. So, don’t be scared to ask for help.

Advice for current graduate students

The same advice goes for those already enrolled in a graduate program: ask for help when you need it. Find a professor who you like, visit them during office hours, develop a relationship with your peers, and ask for guidance when you need it. Pursue what you enjoy, and it becomes easy. Treat it like a job, and volunteer your skills on various projects. It will help you gain experience and learn more through practice. Good luck to anyone pursuing his or her graduate degree, you got this!

Academic Accomplishments

Receiving a McKnight Dissertation Fellowship has given me the ability to travel to historical places and archives across the country to gather archival research, interviews, and footage. It also has granted me the means to acquire new technologies with which to tell these important stories using the latest audiovisual trends. The fellowship will allow me to purchase cameras, filming equipment, and editing software to provide a more professional quality to my media projects. Through the fellowship, I have also met other McKnight fellows with whom I am able to collaborate, creating a network of professional contacts and support.

Future career aspirations

I am just a few steps away from graduating with my doctorate degree and hope to continue in the communication field as both a professor of higher education and a documentary filmmaker. I want to continue to seek out amazing stories of overcoming adversity and share them, hopefully inspiring future generations. I also wish to continue working with minority and disadvantaged youth, teaching them digital media skills and showing them a possible career path through the media field.