Seven Reynolds School of Journalism students traveled to San Jose, California, this June for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience World Cup watch parties, fan fests and to highlight how different communities celebrate their heritage.

Noticiero Móvil, a decade-old, bilingual news outlet gives students the opportunity to write and report about the Latino community during live and fast-paced practical teaching environments — and this trip was no different.

With support from the Reynolds School, Noticiero Móvil managing editor Claudia Cruz was able to secure this travel opportunity, which immersed the sports journalism, photography, videography and public relations students in the culture of fútbol and allowed them to witness how the world’s biggest sporting event unites individuals, nations, and transcends cultures from their own backyard.

This trip delivered exceptional exposure to the young reporters and communicators by magnifying their hands-on-reporting experience outside of Northern Nevada.

Madeleine Gomes, a third-year student at the Reynolds School, decided to join Noticiero Móvil for the summer in hopes of further developing her skills as the incoming sports editor of The Nevada Sagebrush.

“This experience impacted me so much as a reporter because instead of having an assignment or just covering an event, I got to go out, see what was happening, and let the story write itself,” said Gomes. “The atmosphere at the watch parties was unlike anything I've experienced. It's beyond competition; it's culture. It's a passion deeper than a sport, but one that comes from the unity of a country and, honestly, unity of the world.”

The Noticiero Móvil reporters were also able to meet and learn from veteran journalists, like those they met at the Telemundo San Francisco Bay Area newsroom.

The students learned the background of a major market media outlet by understanding the importance of bilingual reporters in a standalone Spanish station and the demands they face.

Oliver Benavides, another reporter on the team, practiced Spanish to cover the Latino fans and enhance his skills as a reporter.

“I've always been a planner and all of my stories before this have been plotted out and researched well beforehand. This time I had to speed up my process and really keep focused, but those are definitely needed skills in journalism,” said Benavides. "I definitely spent a lot of time reviewing the Spanish I already knew and studying up on the teams, players and terminology!”

The journalists were able to recognize hard news stories beyond the “jogo bonito” and reported on immigration at fan watch parties.

“While reporting on the topic of immigration at fan watch parties, I definitely wanted to be careful not to make anyone feel out of place or remind them of a potential fear,” Gomes said. This required her to navigate sensitive questions directly with sources. “Staying informed is the best way to stay safe. I felt like it was my job to help inform.”

These seven journalism students learned to adapt to real-time storytelling during the rare chance to witness how communities in Northern California – and likely across the country – celebrate their heritage through the World Cup, which is reason to celebrate.

“The culture that surrounded the city of San Jose may not be the first story to make headlines, but it taught me that the most fun stories to write are the ones that represent the day-to-day lives of people,” said Gomes. “The people who love sports, love their country and want to go out and celebrate that, however they can.”