Be part of Hola Cultura’s SPEL summer session!
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Are you a high school student looking to sharpen your writing skills and college readiness? Are you a college student seeking work experience in the field of journalism?
Hola Cultura invites high school and college students to apply to the 2024 summer Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL), which will run from Tuesday, June 4 to July 30.
Hola Cultura’s SPEL provides applicants an opportunity to enhance their writing skills in a supportive team-oriented setting and build key skills for future career success. Join one of our three SPEL story teams: Arts & Humanities, Society & Culture and Copy Editing. The Arts & Humanities team focuses on D.C. artists, writers and local Latinx culture. The Society & Culture team examines societal issues like environmental justice or immigration trends. The Copy Editing team receives training and hands-on experience copy editing stories published by Hola Cultura on our online magazine (holacultura.com). It is important to note that SPEL operates as a bilingual program and publishes English and Spanish articles.
SPEL interns attend online meetings every Tuesday via Zoom from 6:30 to 8 p.m. ET for team collaboration. Teammates work together on stories and bounce ideas off of peers in other SPEL story teams as well. The story teams are led by SPEL fellows who serve as mentors, providing feedback and guiding interns through assignments. Each team has its own assignments and contributions to Hola Cultura, but there are always opportunities for these teams to interact throughout the program.
“I feel like I have already gotten so much out of SPEL with the workshops and story lab… brainstorming story pitches with peers and getting to know colleagues,” says Karolina Montalvo, a freshman at George Washington University and an editorial intern this spring on the Society & Culture team.
The SPEL meetings include training sessions and workshops to assist interns in developing communication, critical thinking and digital skills relevant to the writing, interviewing and story creation processes. Interns get the chance to conduct interviews and learn effective ways to create impactful stories about Latinx artists, Latinx community leaders or anyone who influences the Latinx community in D.C.
“In the SPEL program, I have grown to understand that no matter the differences between lived experiences, you always come across people of great value willing to share their knowledge with others,” says Talía Alemán, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Spanish at the International University of La Rioja remotely and currently an editorial intern on the Copy Editing team.
For those interested in participating in SPEL this summer, find out more on our SPEL program page. High school students can apply via our online application form, which is available in both English and Spanish. College students and young adult volunteers can explore available opportunities on our Work with Us page. To be considered, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page, including your resume, cover letter and work samples. If you have any questions, please email us at volunteers@holacultura.com.
– Story by Xavier Andrade
– Copy edited by Jacqueline Zhang & Michelle Benitez
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