A driven advocate: Camila Salas shares her voice through journalism

“I really want to be at the forefront of change,” Salas, 18, said. “So I guess my goal is to be someone who is educated and has a global perspective, which is necessary to take on challenges.”

Salas recently graduated from Don Antonio Lugo High School in Chino, Calif., where she began to develop her passion for journalism. 

At first, Salas hesitated to enroll in her high school journalism program because she didn’t consider herself a strong essay writer, but her sophomore year English teacher convinced her to try it out. 

“[My English teacher] said she believed in me and she said journalism is different from essay writing,” Salas said. “She was like, ‘you’ll like this.’ So I gave it a shot. And after a few months, I found out that I really enjoyed it.”

During her junior year, Salas served as a commentary writer for high school’s news website, Quest News. Then, as a senior, she was promoted to Commentary Editor.

“She would always write phenomenal pieces,” said Sophia Vasquez, a former features writer for Quest News and Salas’ close friend. “As a friend, she is always there for me whenever I need her and whenever I need to talk to her about anything.”

Throughout high school, Salas was involved in her school’s hip hop dance team, Latino Student Union and Interact club. During her senior year, she began contributing to the L.A. Times’ High School Insider.

Camila Salas dances with the Don Antonio Lugo High School hip hop dance team. (Courtesy of Camila Salas.)

“My teacher said ‘you can take your writing to the next level and probably get published for High School Insider. I think you’re ready,’” Salas said. “And so I did that. And after that it just went on from there.”

Salas is excited to work as an intern at HS Insider this summer and further develop her writing and communication skills. She’s also looking forward to covering Los Angeles and her local community of Chino.

“I think that storytelling is one of the most important aspects you can carry in any career in your life,” Salas said. “So this is the perfect way to prepare myself for college.”

Salas will be attending the University of Southern California this fall with a major in international relations and an emphasis in pre-law. After college, Salas plans on pursuing a career related to policy or diplomacy. 

She said that her identity as Latinx and a first-generation college student has motivated her to get where she is today.

“I think Cami has such a bright future and I mean that sincerely,” Vasquez said. “She’s always been such a hard worker. I know she’s going to continue to work hard in the future to achieve her goals. I will tell you that I feel like she’ll be perfect for any job in politics.”