UTA News en Español students are getting their 15 minutes of fame on Spanish-language television station Univision 23 in Dallas. The station, located in the fifth-largest media market in the United States, allows students from UTA to report, anchor, produce, and direct on-air television newscasts.
As part of the flagship program Proyecto U, students receive college credit for producing television news segments under faculty supervision and professional mentorships. According to Julian Rodriguez, UTA News en Español faculty adviser, the program was developed to teach students to serve the growing Hispanic media market.
"Through Proyecto U, students experience the urgency and impact of the professional broadcast journalism environment hands-on and well before they graduate," Rodriguez says. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unlike any other in the nation."
Sophomore Maritza Esquivel is a student producer with Proyecto U. She counts working directly with professional broadcasters as a major benefit of the program.
"The time and advice they give us is priceless," Esquivel says. "I hope to learn as much as possible from them and be prepared for a career in broadcasting by the time I graduate."
