Famosa en su propia manera

Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹

Headshot of Emely Miranda-Aguilar. (Emelyn Gomez)

Emely Miranda-Aguilar siempre ha tenido un ojo para historias únicas, siendo responsable de la cobertura del ‘Pogo Stick Guy’ de la Universidad de Maryland, Clarke Bedford de Hyattsville, una nueva iniciativa para prevenir la violencia escolar en Frederick County, y muchas más. 

With dreams of becoming a journalist for topics in art and culture, it took lots of courage to get to where she is today.

Miranda-Aguilar nació de padres salvadoreños y es la hija mediana de dos hermanas. Este aspecto la motivaba porque siempre ha querido ser una inspiración para los de su alrededor. 

“I have goals for myself, like I want to achieve things. You know… there's not many Hispanics who go to college. There's not many people who graduate from college. And so it's really important to me to be someone, like an inspiration,” said Miranda-Aguilar.

With dreams of attending NYU, the financial burden led her to take a chance on UMD and to see it as a sign to put herself out there as much as she could. Despite this perseverance, she often found it challenging to navigate. 

Compared to her peers, she felt at a disadvantage because of their prior experiences, which put them a step ahead.

"I was just doing so much stuff to have a full resume to just make myself look impressive and have the skills to be on par with my peers,” she said. “Sometimes, I would feel like I was less than them, even though I know I'm not. But like, they would have so much more work to show than I did at first.”

Inspirada en crear un nombre por sí misma, se anotó en varios periódicos universitarios. She became editor-in-chief of Stories Beneath the Shell and was a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. She also did work for the Capital News Service, College Park Here and Now, and the US News & World Report.

Miranda-Aguilar’s passions transpired into pursuing a minor in French studies, even granting the opportunity to test her skills while studying abroad in France, a highlight of her college experience.

Photo of the Miranda-Aguilar Family. (Courtesy of Emely Miranda-Aguilar)

Con un apoyo inmenso de su familia, su novio y su mejor amiga, que también es su hermana menor, sus desafíos solo se sintieron como razones para seguir adelante.

“ I know I made the right choice even though my parents didn't always like the choice of major that I chose because it's not like the most lucrative major. A lot of Hispanic parents, they want you to go to school for money, go to business, law, medicine, and things like that,” she said. “So like, this was truly something that I chose for myself… UMD was for them, but journalism was for me.”

Miranda-Aguilar’s accomplishments are only a glimpse of what she will accomplish in her future. As she concludes her college career, you might catch her practicing a new hobby: playing board games to ease her intricate mind.

"Lucha por tus sueños. Que Dios siempre está contigo y nosotros para apoyarte, guiarte y protegerte. We love you." - Emely Miranda-Aguilar’s family