UNO alumna, World-Herald immigration reporter honored by OLLAS

Since 1985, life at UNO seems to have changed completely to Cindy Gonzalez. However, after 20 years Gonzalez found herself back on campus with new acquaintances and a trip down memory lane. The Omaha-World Herald reporter graduated in 1985 with a degree in journalism.

New to the campus since her graduation is the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies of the Great Plains, which brought her back to campus on Sept. 27 to honor her for dedication and veracity in her coverage of Latin American community issues.

Next generation leadership scholars, incoming Latin American students, and OLLAS majors and minors were invited to attend the luncheon.

Among the 60 attendees included a trace of Gonzalez's past. Her old professors from the Goodrich Program at UNO brought support and familiarity.

"It was gratifying personally and professionally to return to UNO and be recognized for coverage of issues related to the immigrant and Latino/Latin American community, and to see some old professors and current students," Gonzalez said. "The growth of the foreign-born population from all over the world is having such a profound impact on our community at large, and I look forward to the ongoing challenge of finding the most effective people and ways to tell people that story."

The luncheon program itself was for new students, said Lucy A. Garza, project coordinator and academic advisor of OLLAS.

"It [is] intended to help [students] meet faculty members and staff on campus to help them have access to have a familiar face to go to with any questions and how to navigate through campus life," she said.

Gonzalez's talents were found early in her life at Omaha Paul VI High School. Rather than excelling at only a few hobbies, she managed to play softball, volleyball and basketball. She also worked for the yearbook and graduated class valedictorian.

These opportunities not only shaped her into the person she is today, but also helped create a path towards a future of success and accomplishment, especially in the arena of Latin American studies.

Gonzalez covered her first major immigration story in 1991 and 1992. It included two Omaha South High School students who were arrested during classes and deported to Mexico without their parents.

This situation brought interest in the subject of immigration that was beginning to significantly alter the social and economic fabric of the state.

"As an Omaha native, I have been personally curious and intrigued with the demographic and social changes in our community," Gonzalez said. "Of course immigration from Latin America has been a major story in the past few decades, especially recently, and it's been fascinating to track the impact on both the community and the immigrants."

After high school, Gonzalez attended UNO and worked part-time as a reporter and host of "Minority Americans" on KFAB radio station along with reporting for the Gateway.

During the summer of her junior year, she was selected as a news intern for the Omaha-World Herald. That opportunity led her to years of success in not only her national coverage, but also her interest in public relations, communication and Latin American issues.

"Cindy gives students a real-life experience of where a person has actually intertwined their interests in Latino issues, communication and public relations," Garza said. "She is a really good example of expanding issues that attain student interest. Students can see the benefit of what's going on in the media right now fairly extensively."

Gonzalez continues to succeed in her writing. Among her most