Hola Cultura / SPEL Stories

SPEL wraps up another semester chronicling Latino culture

By hola | Published May 14, 2024 | No Comments

This semester in our Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL), we interviewed the producers of a new documentary about D.C.’s Salvadoran community, its history and artistic roots. We also talked to a local writer who just published her first book, a local musician making it big in the DMV and the parents fighting for the future of D.C.’s oldest bilingual preschool. On top of all that, did you know about the imminent danger facing one of D.C.’s oldest Latino murals? Our SPEL participants have these stories for you and more!

We reported nearly a dozen stories during the spring semester, which wrapped up on Apr. 30. One of the first pieces finished was SPEL Arts & Humanities intern Avil Silva’s interview with Mt. Pleasant-based author Diana Rojas. Rojas’ first book, “Litany of Saints,” was recently published by Arte Público Press. Avril’s interview was published last week. If you missed it, read it here!

The rest are coming soon. Every Tuesday, we have a new story in English, and every Monday, we have new Spanish posts that include SPEL interviews and stories produced by our adult Spanish Literary Program.

To give you an idea of what’s in store from SPEL, 19-year-old Latino indie-rock musician Javi Vera gave us an interview about what it’s been like for the Glen Burnie, Maryland native to gain a following among local music fans. Well-known local poet and artist Quique Avilés and fellow Yellow House Collective member, Carolina Fuentes, dropped by to tell us about their upcoming documentary, “Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo” (or “The Most Beautiful Deaths in the World”), which looks at the history of D.C.’s largest Latin American diaspora through the eyes of local Salvadoran artists.

We also have stories coming this spring that explore the future of the bilingual preschool, El Centro Rosemount (Rosemount Center), and the Unity Mural, two endangered D.C. Latino community landmarks. We also talked to multi-faceted local creatives Marjuan Canady, Irene Pantelis and María Elena Montero, as well as Canek Aguirre, the first Latino on the Alexandria City Council, who is seeking his third term in office this year.

All of these stories are brought to you by SPEL. At SPEL, high school students, college students and young adult fellows from around the country come together to work on stories, conduct research and interviews and so much more. Our work engages with D.C. artists and experts to share their art and stories with the community and other readers. This semester we had three teams: Arts & Humanities, Society & Culture and Copy Editing.

“When I first heard about SPEL, it was through my advisory teacher at my high school and how it would give you a lot of experience in interviewing and journalism and that got me really excited,”  says Amber Anderson.

A student at School Without Walls High School, Anderson is currently considering future career options. Through her experience on the Arts & Humanities team and overall time at SPEL, she thinks she may have a future in journalism.

Her advice for future SPEL members? “Reach out when you need help because I needed a lot of help,” she says. “Just don’t be shy.”

Thomas Shepard, a high school intern on the Society & Culture team, says he really enjoyed the flexibility of the program.

“I liked how I could find my own thing that I could write about. I thought that was really cool,” says Shepard. “It wasn’t too much [of a] commitment. We have one meeting a week, so it’s pretty flexible.”

Being of Brazilian and American descent, Shepard says it was very appealing to him that the program related to the Latino community.

Shepard is a senior at School Without Walls High School and has lived in D.C. his whole life. He is interested in pursuing architecture or urban planning in college and says he hopes to make a positive impact on the world through design.

Although journalism is a big part of the SPEL program, we also offer positions that take on other tasks such as copy editing, social media and nonprofit communications.

Iris Lopez is a social media intern on the Arts & Humanities team. A junior at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in media studies and art history with a minor in ethnic studies, Lopez says she wants to work in D.C. but must first learn more about the area, especially for the career she wants to pursue.

“What drew me in was that it’s an environment that’s meant to train you and give you resources,” says Lopez. “[It’s about] being part of a team of people who are there for the same reasons and passions and being able to support the Latino community and uplift their efforts.”

Thanks to her social media responsibilities, Lopez says she has become more creative and learned more about target audiences and what messages should be highlighted.

“Hola Cultura is very welcoming. I feel like I’ve been able to speak my mind more, say my ideas and be open to helping others,” she says.

Almost every week, Hola Cultura brought in professional experts and guests to talk about their journeys, offer advice and answer some questions from our interns. Guests this semester included Chris Quintana, an investigative reporter at USA Today; American Journalism Project’s Jason Alcorn; Yan Colón León, a manager of music at D.C. Public Schools Division of the Arts, and Cara Soloman, a journalist, founder and creative director at the nonprofit, Everyday Boston. We were also happy to welcome back Gaylord Fields, GQ Magazine’s copy manager, who led a fascinating discussion with the full SPEL group and met separately with the Copy Editing team.

All three of our mentioned interns this semester expressed excitement and appreciation for these guest speakers.

“Listening to all the people that [were] invited to talk to the whole group and hearing about people with jobs in journalism made it feel real and exciting,” says Anderson.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” adds Lopez, “especially when we’re working with journalists or professionals who teach us all these different skills and things we need.”

– Story by Crystal Lee

– Copy edited by Michelle Benitez

Recent Stories