UTEP Student Media Staff, Alumni Land at Texas Monthly, NYU, the El Paso Times
The Prospector and Minero Magazine newsrooms are recruiting, welcome students from every major
EL PASO, Texas (Oct. 6, 2026) – UTEP Student Media and Publications is now recruiting, and newcomers will join a program whose most recent staff spent the summer at Texas Monthly, The Dallas Morning News and the El Paso Times.
“Our biggest reward as professional staff members is to see our students reach their career goals,” said Veronica Gonzalez, director of Student Media and Publications.
Where students and graduates landed
Four of the department’s nine 2025-26 graduates secured internships or professional media positions before graduation. Over the summer, recent graduates Sofia Sierra and Alyda Muela interned at Texas Monthly and The Dallas Morning News, respectively. Student photographer Diego Cruz Castruita completed an El Paso Times internship and was still shooting for the paper when the semester began, photographing UTEP’s first day of classes. Student Media and Publications writer Diego Hernandez interned at The City Magazine during the summer, gaining experience as an advertising account executive.
Former Minero Magazine Editor-in-Chief Yoali Rodriguez, a 2024 graduate, began a master’s degree in journalism at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute this fall on a merit scholarship, and recent graduate Evelyn Palma launched her career as a Weekend Assignment Editor at KFOX14/CBS4.
In July, The Prospector’s Editor-in-Chief Ximena Cordero and editors Iziah Moreno, Victoria Adler and Mia Colmenero represented UTEP’s chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists at its national conference in New Orleans, where they met journalists from The New York Times, NPR, CNN and NBC News.
“Iziah Moreno, Minero Magazine’s EIC, put it best: being part of a traditional New Orleans second line and seeing the streets flooded with people who looked like us and shared our passions made careers in media feel much more attainable and reminded us that we have a place and a voice in journalism,” Cordero said.
The newsroom this fall
Cordero, back as Editor-in-Chief this fall, was selected for the Puente News Fellowship and served as a Fall 2025 Student Collaborative Fellow with KVIA ABC-7. She was also part of the Next Gen Journalism Newsroom Project in early September. Moreno photographed actor Steve Zahn at the Las Cruces International Film Festival.
“At the 2026 Las Cruces Film Fest, I had the opportunity to be the lead on-set photographer for an interview with actor Steve Zahn. I was able to get this amazing opportunity through the connections that I have made through my photography, which would not have been possible without my beginnings at Student Media,” Moreno said.
This year, The Prospector will launch La Mina, a Spanish-language section of news, arts and culture, sports and multimedia stories. The newsroom also welcomes multimedia editor Lesly Chavez and digital media producer Diego Figueroa, who will oversee the podcast.
The track record behind it
The Student Media and Publications department earned 20 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Awards in 2025-2026 for journalism, photography, design and multimedia storytelling. The Prospector published 293 stories, 13 podcast episodes and eight print editions; its Instagram drew more than 808,000 views, and TheProspectorDaily.com recorded nearly 350,000 page views.
How to get involved
Students from every major can work in reporting, photography, video and digital media, graphic design, advertising and marketing as paid staff depending on the role and openings, or as unpaid contributors.
“I walked into The Prospector during my second semester of freshman year without knowing anything about journalism,” Cordero said. “I would tell first-year students that you don’t have to be an expert or know everything; what you need is passion, dedication and a willingness to learn.”
Students can apply through Minetracker (minetracker.utep.edu) or ask about current openings at prospector@utep.edu or 915-747-5161. For spring, the department encourages early applications.
Student Media and Publications is temporarily located at Hawthorne House, 1608 Hawthorne St., and will return to the Union once construction is complete.
Last Updated on October 06, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published October 06, 2026
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
