Journalism student receives CSUB medal for expanding student newspaper
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Two CSUB students received medallions from the university President this week.
Haydee Barahona was honored when she received a medal from interim CSUB President Vernon B. Harper this week.
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Majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism, Barahona left a legacy at her undergraduate university after she helped establish a way for more readers to enjoy the news.
“The Runner” her school’s newspaper is written in English. She helped make it where there’s a Spanish version, too.
“My best friend, who was also Editor in Chief for the digital side of the newspaper, Jennifer, one of the things that she had told me before we even started producing the bilingual newspaper, was that her mom could only read so much of what she was writing and she really wanted her to be able to do that,” CSUB senior Barahona said.
That was the turning point for a new change: translating English stories for Spanish readers.
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“She had written a story this first month that we were producing bilingually and she was like ‘you know, I really think that it’s only fair that everyone gets to read this. If we’re reading this in English, we have to read it just as much in Spanish’…. it really had a big impact on her family that they could finally read the stuff that she was writing in Spanish.”
When she received a medal from CSUB Interim President Dr. Vernon Harper, it came as an utter surprise.
“I had previously won the award as the outstanding undergraduate for the school of communications and for the school of humanities. About a week later, President Harper of CSU Bakersfield just called me one afternoon while I was doing homework. He let me know that I had won the president’s medal and I was anticipating that we were going to find out at the graduation. I was so shocked. It’s such an honor to represent my major and class as a whole. It’s such a positive feeling.”
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She stayed at the top of her game here in Bakersfield, and she’s not done yet.Barahona will be attending UC Berkley to earn her Master’s Degree in the Fall.
“My mom and dad have been so supportive through all of this even though there was a time where they didn’t even know what it was that I was doing. They must’ve been wondering what I was doing, locked up in my room and making layouts for so long. They finally get to see it, be able to read it, and be able to understand it a little bit more. I’m so grateful for them. They’ve even taken me to some of my interviews.. I just really couldn’t do anything without them,” Barahona said.
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