The Miami Herald just got its newest intern, and Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) is proud to say that she is one of their very own Jaguars.
Valeria Bula, a Cambridge Journalism junior, has only been working for the Herald since this summer, but the internship is something she’d set her sights on as soon as she began the Journalism program at MLEC.
“I’ve always been interested in working with The Miami Herald and being a possible intern because I know previous students have done it,” said Bula. “I wasn’t ever completely sure as to how to get it. Luckily it basically got placed on my path and I’m very grateful for that.”
But Bula soon thought that her luck was running out as it had become a very difficult process to have the internship officiated by Miami-Dade County. There were so many hurdles and hoops that she became overwhelmed, so she is very thankful for her Journalism advisor, Neyda Borges, who helped her through the process.
“I probably wouldn't be able to have this internship if it weren’t for her . . . she did everything for me and she made sure everything was under control so I really owe it to her.”
Borges, however, gives all praise to Valeria, noting that she excels as a student and a journalist, even at such a young age.
“She asks a lot of questions and searches for answers. That's part of what makes her such an excellent student and an even better journalist,” said Borges. “Even though she is so young she is interning at the Miami Herald, working alongside college-aged interns and professional journalists. But that does not intimidate her; on the contrary, it only increases her enthusiasm for her work.”
Despite her journalistic talent and the fact that the internship has been officiated, Bula still faces difficulties. In addition to pursuing journalism in and out of school, she also holds office in Junior State of America and National Honor Society, acts as a committee member for the Miami-Dade Youth Commission, and volunteers at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, so she finds that effective time management is essential.
“It’s definitely a really difficult juggling act,” said Bula. “The internship is just one amongst several things I have on my plate this year, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
00020000078700000934781,Out of all of her extracurriculars, she dedicates most of her time to her passion for journalism.
“I invest a lot of my time into journalism, as much as I can while also trying to keep up my grades in classes,” Bula said. “The Herald is definitely the most demanding, but it’s so fun.”
So far, Bula has thoroughly enjoyed working on the human interest stories she has been assigned. Getting her first article published was “the best feeling ever” and she finds the experience of writing for the Herald to be a very rewarding one.
“The biggest reward is the feeling that in almost every article I’m at least impacting someone’s life. Being able to cast a spotlight, even if momentarily, on something that's kind of insular and making someone eventually happy through the work I’m making is probably the best part of this job.”
Aside from the rewards she has already reaped from the internship, Bula wants to expand her horizons and has high hopes for other things she might gain through the experience.
“From this experience, I really hope to become more recognized and build a stronger network,” Bula said. “I also want to gain the newsroom experience. It’s really exciting getting assigned a new story and always being on the hunt for a new story, so I really hope to gain from this experience something that I may not find anywhere else.”
Even before she began the internship, it was clear to Bula’s teachers that she is a remarkable and extremely driven student, so they are all the more proud of her for chasing this opportunity.
“I’m very proud to see Valeria pursuing her dreams in mass communications,” said Erica Evans-Desimone, the head of the Cambridge academy and Valeria’s former social studies instructor. “I think working for The Miami Herald will give her tremendous amounts of experience and it's done nothing but help our previous students who’ve been in the same capacity.”