In May of last year, I was getting ready to walk the very first stage since my high school graduation, and It did not feel real to me. As I entered the graduation ceremony alongside my peers, I remember thinking of my high school self, the one who could not imagine walking into any college graduation, much less my own. And as much as I learned while attending college, there are many more things that I learned a year after graduating. These are things that I’m still learning and processes that I’m still learning to trust. These are just my learnings and observations post-graduation; they are not meant to be followed as a guide because we are all different. But I hope you find a little bit of truth or maybe a sentence or two of inspiration from a first-generation Latina.
Author Archives: Brenda Fernanda Verano
Brenda Fernanda Verano is a journalist born in Mexico and raised in South Central, LA. Verano is a two-time award winner in the California College Media Association Awards. At CALÓ News, she covers social justice, health care, and education. She is alumni from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and former Editor in Chief of the campus newspaper, the Bulletin. Outside of journalism, she enjoys gardening and poetry. If you have questions, concerns or corrections related to this story, please contact brenda@latinomedia.org.
Posted inEspañol
Autodesk ayuda a los estudiantes latinos que buscan carreras STEM
El campus de la Universidad Estatal de California, Northridge (CSUN) será próximamente sede de un nuevo centro de innovación que brindará oportunidades e impartirá conocimientos en ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas (STEM) a los estudiantes latinos. El Autodesk Technology Engagement Center se anunció el 14 de abril en el campus de CSUN. A la ceremonia […]
Posted inSTEM
AUTODESK, a software company that supports Latino students pursuing STEM careers
The California State University, Northridge (CSUN) campus will be home to a new innovation center that will provide science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities, and skills to Latino students.
Posted inAnti-Hate
California Civil Rights Department launches state-wide initiative to help hate victims
California Civil Rights Department, the state agency in charge of enforcing California’s civil rights laws, launched California vs Hate, a state-wide initiative to address, combat and report hate incidents and crimes. The mission of the California Civil Rights Department is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing and businesses. But another commitment from the department, which often gets overlooked, is to protect Californians from hate violence.
Posted inEspañol
Entrevista con Dolores Huerta
2 de mayo de 2023 PIE DE FOTO: La legendaria líder campesina cumplió 93 años el mes pasado. Recientemente visitó la ciudad de Los Ángeles para hablar sobre la importancia de la conservación del agua. Foto por Brenda Verano. A los 93 años, Dolores Huerta, una leyenda de los derechos civiles para latinos y todos […]
Posted inJustice
Dolores Huerta talks to CALÓ NEWS about water justice, anti-hate and more
At 93 years old, Dolores Huerta, a civil rights icon FOR LATINOS AND ALL AMERICANS, continues to fight for women, Latinos and working-class people. Huerta, who was born in New Mexico, has participated and led collective actions such as boycotts and strikes, as well as various social justice initiatives and community organizing. Along with Cesar Chavez, Dolores co-founded the National Farmworkers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers of America.
Posted inImmigration
Six months since my Dad was forced to move to back Mexico, things will never be the same
It’s been almost six months since the last time I saw my father. On November 2022, he left behind Los Angeles and returned to his home in Queretaro, Mexico. After 17 years of being in the United States without papers, my dad decided it was time to go back to Mexico and reunite with his family.
Posted inAnti-Hate
ANTI-HATE SERIES: La Puente High School Opens One of Seven Centers to Combat Hate in LA County
On Wednesday, April 12, La Puente High School inaugurated a Dream Resource Center, aimed at promoting unity and being a powerful source against hate among high school students and the local community. It is one of eight Dream Source Centers within Los Angeles County, all of which are funded by the California Department of Social Services and in collaboration with the LA Commission for Human Relations (LA vs. Hate) and Helpline Youth Center.
Posted inGovernment
Three LA communities to vote on how to use $3 million in city budget
Individuals, 15 years of age and older, who live, study or work in Boyle Heights, Mission Hills-Panorambggta City-North Hills, and Southeast LA will have until April 30 to vote and help decide how an estimated $3 million of the Los Angeles city budget will be spent to benefit their communities.
Posted inAnti-Hate
ANTI-HATE SERIES: LA vs Hate mural in Watts unifies Blacks and Latinos
The community of Watts is now home to a 200-foot mural entitled “Unity Under the Sun,” which aims to promote unity, fight hate and discrimination. The unveiling of the mural, which took place at the Watts Historic Train Station on March 4, brought together community and city leaders, activists, artists and residents, most of them Latino and Black.
Posted inJustice
CALÓ NEWS celebrates one-year anniversary serving Latino readers
Today, CALÓ NEWS and our staff celebrate a milestone. This issue marks our one-year anniversary. Last year, the Latino Media Collaborative (LMC), an emerging non-profit organization that develops high-impact media outreach, launched CALÓ NEWS with the mission of informing, engaging and empowering our greater Latino community on the issues and perspectives that mean most to us, particularly for those who live in a growing number of news and media deserts.
Posted inJustice
Peace and Healing Centers help most vulnerable communities in Los Angeles
This February, nine Peace & Healing Centers are expected to open and begin offering services to working-class residents living across the various communities in Los Angeles. The centers, launched by the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights), are part of the city’s first participatory budgeting pilot program called Los Angeles Reforms for Equity and Public Acknowledgement of Institutional Racism (LA REPAIR).