Pictures via Samuel’s Facebook profile
It’s often said that, if you work hard, someday you will make it. We all pursue dreams and imagine how it will feel to see them come true. Paulo Coelho said: “The possibility of achieving a dream is what makes life so interesting”. That’s how it has been for Samuel Olivares Bonilla, an aspiring journalist and senior at the University of Puerto Rico. His love for written communication and passion for helping others have earned him invaluable experiences and adventures worthy of being immortalized in books (just like he plans to someday).
Samuel’s interest in journalism started in high school when he discovered he had a desire for helping others while using creativity to achieve said purpose. It’s this affinity for human contact that still resonates with him when practicing journalism. His favorite part about being a journalist is meeting people and hearing their stories. One that he will always remember involves a homeless woman who insisted she had been hired by the FBI and had fabricated an entire novel-worthy story around this supposed connection to this governmental agency. Samuel was shocked about her coherence in fabricating such story.
Throughout his years at the UPR, Samuel has managed to stay active in many projects that have earned him recognition in and out of school. At the absence of work, he creates his own projects with which he is cautious and judgemental when choosing one. Through these involvements, Samuel has created an image that is essential for any aspiring journalist in our time. His presence in social media is key to his growth as a communicator.”They keep you active in the search for more information and help you in the capacitation and development of a journalistic critical eye”, he says.
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised between Florida and Yauco, Samuel describes himself as a city boy, especially a New Yorker. He describes his writing as “descriptive with a narration full of color”. As he continues his career, he plans to marvel at human interest journalism. His work has been published in The New York Times, Metro Puerto Rico, Revista Ego, among many other respectable publications. During his time at the NYT, Samuel understood that “anyone can make it”.
Currently, Samuel is planning to attend grad school and pursue his career as a journalist with a focus on human interest. He plans to write two books in the future: the biography of Yauco’s current mayor and his mother’s biography. Throughout his life, he has defined God, his mother and the desire of achieving his goals as his three main sources of inspiration. To future generations of journalists, he would recommend to “think thoroughly the decision to work in journalism” and that “no matter where you come from, you can make it”.
As told to That’s so French by Samuel Nemir Olivares Bonilla on September 13, 2013.
That's so French 