Reminiscing on this year, the editor-in-chief of Pueblo, Diego Yepez, talks about successes, hopes and goals for the future as the school year comes to a wrap.
Last May, I was sitting in my McCabe dorm, opening up an email — oblivious to a chance that would change my life. Within the confines of the Outlook app lay an opportunity to become the editor-in-chief of Pueblo at 14 East.
There were multiple thoughts running through my head as I read the email over and over again. I remember being at odds about this opening and questioning, “Do I have what it takes to lead a team? Am I the right person for this job? What if I mess up and disappoint people?”
There’s no rulebook that details the successes and tragedies that happen when becoming a leader, so as I began to type “yes” into my computer, I felt my body begin to buzz with excitement and a hint of trepidation.
Fast-forward to the beginning of the school year, where the time began for me to officially start working and, oh boy, was I nervous.
Going into it, I knew that my priorities were to build the team, publish consistently via the web and newsletters and build a bigger presence on social media.
Naively, I thought that I shouldn’t have too much of an issue accomplishing all three. But within the past eight months filled with highs and lows, I can proudly say that even with all the grey hair I’ve grown, we did it.
Okay, so maybe we didn’t build a bigger team, but more importantly, Pueblo has been active in so many ways. Besides, I’ve always felt that while we may be small, that doesn’t mean we’re not mighty.
We’ve published a wide variety of stories, from cultural stories like the experiences of our Hispanic parents coming to America to political stories like how our community has survived amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
We’ve even thrown in some fun human interest stories like Telenovela fashion and cultural dances like the “Baile de la Iguana.”
Pueblo has been consistently featured in the newsletters since the beginning of the year and has livened up our Instagram presence through “day in our lives” and the weekly Pueblo bulletin.
Of course, there were some growing pains within the team. Like having to learn how to get comfortable with one another, keeping each other accountable for our responsibilities and making sure Pueblo stayed at the forefront with every decision.
But it’s been through those challenges that I learned a lot about myself. I learned how to properly communicate my expectations of my writers in a respectable manner that also supported them.
I also pushed myself to think of other ways we can show up within the community. Our small team all have a niche and through that niche, we can represent different people in the DePaul community.
Unsurprisingly, while my patience may have been tested a couple of times, it showed me the sacrifice that leaders must take to meet a bigger goal.
By no means am I perfect or lacking moments of weakness, but that imperfection worked to teach me how I can switch my perspective to better help my writers and Pueblo overall.
I’m eternally grateful for all the work my writers and I have accomplished and can’t wait to see what awaits us in the future.
I want to individually thank Melissa Espana, Diana Torres and Annette Prado for all being instrumental in the development of Pueblo this year.
With each insight, Melissa has supported each one of us to become better journalists and think of Pueblo as not only a publication, but a family. Diana has done an amazing job coming up with fresh social media ideas that engage our viewers, and Annette has continuously proven her dedication and passion for our organization.
I truly could not have done any of the work that we’ve accomplished this year without all of you and, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Also thank you to Amy Merrick, Annabelle Rivera and Gia Clarke for entrusting me with this position and giving me the liberty to take Pueblo to new heights.
As my time as Pueblo editor-in-chief comes to a close, I know that Pueblo is in the safe hands of my successor, Annette Prado, who works to further establish us as a safe space for our fellow Latinx community.
Pueblo was built as “a space where engaging material — journalistic and creative — from Chicago’s Latinx young adult writers can be seen and shared by the community.”
From there, we’ve gone to incredible efforts to further connect with our community and continue to do so. No matter how big our team is, who runs it, or what we’re writing, our mission is always to connect with you.
Thank you for reading and check back next year to see just what the Pueblo team has in store for you.
Sinceramente,
Diego Yepez
Header Image by Diego Yepez
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