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It is almost 7 p.m. on Sunday, Emily Bonilla’s nerves increase as she prepares all of her  cameras and microphones and makes sure the live-stream is all set before her radio show starts. She takes a deep breath and reminds herself that the conversation she is about to have will raise awareness in the young community, which helps her to control her nerves. Now she is ready to address the issue of femicides. 

20-year-old Bonilla along with Sofia Alvarado, both PCC students, host the podcast “Todo Cambia” on the local radio station Radio Jornalera. On their weekly radio show, they have different guests from Pasadena, such as counselors, musicians, photographers and makeup artists. They also have discussions on a variety of social issues that are common among the student-working class. Their main target is the young Latino community.

“There will always be social issues in our society and I think they should be talked about, not only by older generations but by youth,” said Bonilla.

Bonilla started this project with the hope of making a change and raising awareness in her local community, Pasadena. Bonilla and her co-host decided to name the show “Todo Cambia,” which translates to “Everything Changes” in Spanish, based on the stage of life they are living now. Young people have to make some of the most important decisions of their life, such as deciding if they should go to college, choosing their major, transferring and getting a job. 

The pandemic forced their radio show to stop, but Bonilla is hoping to resume it as soon as things go back to normal.

“These are very important times for our community to listen to us,” said Bonilla. “Our voices are powerful.”

In addition to hosting a radio show, Bonilla writes weekly stories for the Courier. She is studying her last semester at PCC, majoring in broadcast journalism. Her interest in journalism started when she was in fourth grade when she realized her skills?—being creative, interacting and connecting with people and telling stories?—are necessary for the journalism field. 

“Everyone has a story,” said Bonilla. “I think voicing the voiceless is very important.”

Bonilla wishes to become a professional sports journalist. She says that the lack of females in this field inspires her to make a change. 

“I look up to women in sports and I see them as great accomplishments because it is such a male-dominated industry,” said Bonilla. 

But Bonilla’s journey has not been easy. One of the most important obstacles in Bonilla’s life is dealing with mental health issues in one of her loved ones. This contributed to Bonilla’s decision to study at PCC since it would allow her to stay close to her family and help them as much as possible. 

Another challenge that Bonilla has faced in her life is being rejected by multiple universities, but she did not take a no for an answer. She worked harder and kept trying. Her perseverance did not go unnoticed, as she will transfer to the University of Southern California in the fall.

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