For La Salle’s First International Internship, Karen Ortiz Became Newscaster at a Mexico City Radio Station

When Karen Ortiz began her internship at a Mexico City radio station last June, she figured she’d do photocopying, fact-checking and the usual mundane chores assigned to student help. Imagine her surprise when they asked the La Salle University junior to go on the air and read the news!

“I said, ‘Wait a minute!’” recalls Ortiz, who was also taking classes at Universidad La Salle last summer. But a program host named Federico LaMont told her she’d be fine. He introduced her on air, and Ortiz began reading news copy about elections in Mexico and France rejecting the European Constitution.

For five weeks, the Feltonville resident delivered the news on the ABC Network-affiliated station, both in English and Spanish. Ortiz’s was the first international internship in La Salle’s history. By the time it ended, she said the experience “was fun. It was a little stressful to work on-air, yet the people there at the station made me feel like I was at home.”

Ortiz was 18, but she thinks the station personnel thought she was older, which is why they put her on the air.

Born in Colombia, Ortiz came to the United States with her parents and siblings at age eight. She enrolled in La Salle University two years ago, and made the Dean’s list last spring. She speaks Spanish at home, but said her reading and writing of the language “wasn’t perfect,” so she heard about an opportunity to study at Universidad La Salle, a Christian Brothers University, like La Salle, in Mexico City.

“In addition to traditional course offerings that allow students to learn and improve their Spanish language ability and their appreciation of Mexican history and culture, Universidad La Salle also has partnerships with dozens of companies and social service providers, so students may gain valuable experience in their field of study,” said James Brightman, International Education Coordinator at La Salle University. (Four other La Salle students studied at Universidad La Salle last summer.)

Ortiz is a Marketing major with minors in Communication and Leadership and Global Understanding, and Universidad La Salle arranged an internship for her at the radio station

She stayed with a family in Mexico City, and began her days at 5 a.m. She’d report to the station at 7 a.m. and work until 9 a.m. Then she went to class from 9:30 to noon. She took an advanced course in Spanish, perfecting her reading and writing of the language.

After she completed her course and internship, her family joined her in Mexico City, where they stayed with relatives for a month.

“Mexico City was much different than I thought,” she said. There are a lot of stereotypes about Mexico and even Mexicans, and being there changed my view of everything. I realized stereotypes are usually wrong. The people there were warm and friendly.”

Ortiz now advises students at La Salle and belongs to Mu Sigma Upsilon, a multi-cultural sorority.

She thinks she might stay at La Salle after graduation to earn additional minors, in Spanish and International Relations.