She no longer hides her first language. It’s a strength that helps her build connection with sources.

Below is an excerpt from The Collective, Poynter’s newsletter by journalists of color for journalists of color and our allies.

I have been speaking and writing in English for more than 20 years. Reading out loud in front of others still makes me nervous.

But now the feeling of pride and joy I get when I call my sources and they answer the phone comfortably saying, “Natalia ¿Como estas?” wins over any kind of insecurity I still have about my accent.

These days in Texas, we can hear someone speaking Spanish and Spanglish almost everywhere we go — but this wasn’t always the case. In newsrooms this was (and is today) especially rare.

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