INTRODUCING ROCHELLE ESTRADA

My childhood consisted of reading fiction novels by Judy Blume and occupying every white spot of my marble notebooks with color pencils and my words. The ability that Blume had to captivate me by experiencing life in the eyes of her characters inspired me to want to do the same in my own writing.

That was the start of it all. 

When I started writing in my middle school's newspaper, I realized that you can tell a story in more ways than fiction. In conducting interviews with faculty members and letting their words be the vehicle that created my stories, I saw that my articles made an impact for the school community and started conversations from what was revealed within each story.

I learned that I wanted to keep the conversation going and have it expand past the brick walls of my school building. That's when I learned that I wanted to have my start in journalism.

As I have continued to pursue journalism in high school and college, my passions have expanded as a reporter to want to write about people in my community. There is a story within every voice, and I want to be the driving force that allows that voice to reach the ears of multitudes. 

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I want to be the writer that delivers empathy to my readers when they read about the lives of the discriminated, disabled, underrepresented, and invisible that are hidden in the dark. 

Whether it is a story of the governor of New Jersey or a supermarket cashier in downtown Paterson, I want my reporting to spotlight an untold story and inspire a positive change for all those who see my work. 

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As a writer, reporter, editor, and speaker I don't want to wait for an impact, I want to make it. At the end of the day, it isn't about getting the most stories published, it is about reaching the public with every story that is told. 

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