Students of the Boyle Heights Beat high school journalism program concluded an eventful 2023-24 school year with a lot to be proud of: a successful city council candidate forum attended by over 200 residents, strong coverage of protests that erupted at Mendez High School, and published 60,000 newspapers. Five of our students also graduated and will be going to Occidental College, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Los Angeles, and University of California, Santa Cruz in the fall. 

The students are the latest in a network of over 300 alumni of the Boyle Heights Beat high school journalism program, which is expanding in the 2024-25 school year to include more than 30 students as Boyle Heights Beat becomes part of the L.A. Local News Initiative. We’ll be growing the program to include more schools in more communities, giving more high schoolers the opportunity to learn research, interviewing, public speaking, writing, production, and other skills they can use in any career they pursue. Our alumni over the last 14 years have gone on to careers in journalism, education, law, community service, and more.

How the program works

Twice a week, high school students from Boyle Heights and East L.A. schools gather at the Boyle Heights Beat office to talk journalism.

The students take assignments, prepare for interviews and work on articles in service of their community. Some learn public speaking to moderate events, or help host our podcast. Their mentors — professional journalists in the LA area — are on hand to lead trainings, answer questions and help edit. 

Youth reporters sign on for at least a year, though many stay on much longer. (About half of the professional journalists at Boyle Heights Beat started as students!) While on the team, they produce journalism published on the Boyle Heights Beat website. Four times a year, the students also create a bilingual print edition; 33,000 copies are distributed across the neighborhood. 

Our latest cohort of 20 students worked together with our reporters to own the story of Mendez students protesting the unexplained absence of their principal. Because of its consistent coverage, their coverage in the Beat became the go-to source of information on daily developments. Students in our program have also covered the legal obstacles faced by street vendors and why young people are leaving organized religion. They’ve helped write voter guides and chronicled the challenges of attending college while homeless, a story that was picked up by regional and national outlets. 

Because the students are residents of Boyle Heights, they are able to cover issues that impact their families and friends in real time. And many neighbors say they have come to rely on the site as their primary source of news.

“I find the system that [Boyle Heights Beat has], a system for local news at its best,” said Brenda Martinez, a vice president of the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council. “I think that in order to make sure you cover crucial local stories you have to have a foot in the community. Living, and breathing the culture of that community. There's a need for an understanding on how that specific community receives their news.”

In their own words, three of our students look back on the school year and share their perspectives on the program:

Boyle Heights Beat, above all else, gave me confirmation. I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was 10 years old, but I had never published any pieces of writing before. After publishing numerous articles with Boyle Heights Beat, I got that final confirmation that writing is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Boyle Heights Beat not only gave me that security, but it genuinely helped my personal growth. I’m a very reserved and shy person. I don’t usually offer up loud participation or conversations, but BHB helped change that. I always felt comfortable enough to be loud, and to express myself without restraint. Throughout my time in the program, I’ve slowly begun to grow into a more outgoing person. Part of this new-found confidence to speak publicly also came from the various events we did over the two years. Whether it be the interviews I did at the East LA Classic, or moderating the candidate forum, the opportunities to speak publicly have helped ease some of my social anxiety. Boyle Heights Beat feels like an extended friend group. I’d say we’ve gotten to the point where we all know each other, and we’re able to have friendly banter that reflects that. It's a nice balance of both work and fun, and I’m lucky to have had that opportunity.

-Kathyrn Mora

Three years ago, I was mindlessly scrolling through my school's website when I stumbled upon an announcement for a program that would eventually change my life. It was pure chance. At the time, I had never discovered my passion for journalism, but it had always remained an interest of mine. I vividly remember my enthusiasm when I was accepted. I was about to become a part of something, but I never fully grasped the extent of its impact. As time passed and I grew closer to my mentors, I published my first article about the lack of funding at my school. My reporting amplified the voices of a suppressed community. Providing a voice for others was essential in my disadvantaged community. I provided a platform for them to share important stories and experiences that might have otherwise gone unheard. Journalism grew to become a major part of my life, and my personal skills improved. As I continued to work on new articles, I became proficient in communication and interviewing notable individuals, whom I would have been too afraid to approach just a year prior. During my hours at the office, I networked with three generations of BHB students, creating a network of incredibly talented youth. Not only did I develop communication skills, but my writing also improved. Consequently, my grades improved, and I became more academically focused. My work at BHB laid the foundation for goals that I planned to pursue and provided me with the experience to achieve them. Without the program, I would have less direction in my life.

In the present day, I'm currently working on my seventh news article to publish for BHB. In a few months, I’ll be attending Occidental College, majoring in Diplomacy & World Affairs--a major transition for which I know I’ll have support from my peers and mentors at BHB. Since I’m staying in the area, I still plan to collaborate with BHB in whatever way possible, providing news and shining light on important issues affecting our community. It’s insane to think about how if I had never been on my computer three years ago, I would most likely be heading in a different direction in life. To me, BHB is more than just an afterschool program; it’s a family that enables me to provide a voice for my community, one I know I can rely on whenever I’m in need, and one I will always remember and be a part of.

-Ethan Fernandez

Boyle Heights Beat is my home away from home. I love the community we’ve built, and all my mentors and friends that I've made. I feel comfortable, safe, and welcomed every time I’m at the office. This program has impacted my life in so many ways too. I like writing now. I’ve always been more of a reader than a writer, but being a part of Boyle Heights Beat and writing stories with Carmen and Alex have been some of the best moments of my life. Writing has brought me those moments; without it, I never would have connected with my mentors and built friendships with people I plan to keep outside of Boyle Heights Beat. I love speaking with new people and making new friends, which is something Boyle Heights Beat has pushed me to do, which has helped me become an amazing communicator outside of the program and become more confident in my speaking skills. I can overcome the fear of confrontation, and stand up for myself and what I believe in. I've also been able to struggle less and less with public speaking, and I was even able to participate in a Students Deserve public comment meeting last November where I spoke directly to the LAUSD board of directors to talk them about how why I think they should cut the school police budget and instead invest it into the students and get us more PSW's, counselors, and campus aids. The impact Boyle Heights Beat has had on me and hopefully, something I can continue carrying on into adulthood is a connection with some of the most amazing and fun people I have ever met. I''m excited to see where my next chapter with Boyle Heights Beat will take me, and how many more cool things I can do while being a part of it.

-Angela Caliz

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