“Je’Kerra Hopper is 18 years old, and has a story of personal struggle. For a while, she wondered if she had the will to overcome the challenges she faced. Both parents are in prison. At times, she seemed all alone in her despair. Last year, she lost her focus and her grades slipped. A mentor assigned by the school district helped Je’Kerra turn things around.”
These words, featured on CBS affiliate News 1011, are those of Bobby Caina Calvan, a proud member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s Heartland Project. This project allowed, for the first time, a minority journalism association the opportunity to produce real content to provide in-depth reporting about diverse communities in the state of Nebraska. Southwest Airlines’ sponsorship of Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) allowed us to do a lot of the initial planning for the project by underwriting the cost of travel for staff to do the research to get the project off the ground.
Additionally, Southwest’s sponsorship of AAJA has allowed us to elevate our programs, including providing transportation to diverse high school students to a free one-week training, and sponsoring travel for college journalists to file stories at our national convention and meet with future employers.
Without the generous support of Southwest in 2013, the work AAJA could do for our communities and for future journalists would have been limited. With a newly renewed community partnership, we look forward to all that we’ll be able to achieve together in 2014!
To learn more about the Heartland Project, please visit http://www.aaja.org/category/news/heartland/.
Southwest Airlines proudly shows its commitment to the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through its celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May. Additionally, we give back to the APA community all throughout the year through our invaluable community partnerships that allow us to not only celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage, but also to help the APA community to grow even stronger.
Bobby Caina Calvan told News 1011 Je’Kerra Hopper’s moving story. Je’Kerra Hopper (pictured above) looks over her Lincoln High transcript. Next fall, she will attend Peru State College on a track and field scholarship.
Through the Heartland Project, Bobby Caina Calvan showcased diversity in Lincoln, Neb., through the lens of teens and high school proms. This story was featured in the Lincoln Journal Star.