Cesareo Contreras is a Multimedia Journalist at the MetroWest Daily News here in Massachusetts.
A December 2018 Framingham State University Graduate with Bachelor of Arts in English, Contreras is a former Editor-in-Chief of The Gatepost, our independent student newspaper.
I recently spoke with Contreras to capture a glimpse into what his student journalism experience was like and how it has translated into an actual career.
Contreras shared that he, too, got interested in journalism his senior year of high school. Following being gifted a laptop for Christmas the year prior, he began to read multiple technology blogs and thought to himself how he might enjoy writing about technology one day.
At FSU’s Accepted Students’ Day, he heard the newspaper’s advisor discussing The Gatepost and the journalism program and decided to major in English and join.
Contreras said being a commuter student did not affect his student journalism experience, despite the effects it may have had on his college experience overall.
“You're actually a journalist when you're a student journalist,” he said, adding how he isn’t sure about other professions, but when it comes to journalism the work done at a student newspaper is the same work done at larger newspapers, such as the MetroWest Daily News.
Contreras explained how no matter where journalism takes place the same steps are followed to complete a story.
“You get better by completely redoing it and redoing it over and over again - learning from your mistakes,” he added.
Contreras said aside from typical mentors, such as professors, other students at the newspaper also acted as mentors for him.
He added he didn’t know what he was doing in his freshman year, but the lead editors at the paper were able to guide him in a way that was “beneficial” and “impactful.
“You're always gonna find the people that are going to help you be the best journalists that you can be,” he said.
Contreras said as a student he wished he had known how “the job prospects are very bad.
“The pay isn't great and the opportunity for growth at these local newspapers is non-existent,” he added.
Though, he said even if he had known he would have still pursued journalism because it’s a career he enjoys.
Contreras said the best part about working in journalism is that he is practically doing something different every day.
He added, “Being so entrenched in a community and knowing the drama that's going on there makes life so much more interesting when you can understand the conflicts and the main players [of] the city or a town or the school.
“It's just so exciting,” he said. “It's like the best feeling ever. It feels like you're in a movie in a way.”
Contreras said he encourages everyone to try out journalism “even if you think you're bad.” Adding, “You're gonna continue to not be good unless you start doing it and get better.”
He said, “Don't be afraid to mess up because everyone messes up - even professionals.”
That’s why they run corrections, he said.
Contreras has been a full-time journalist at the MetroWest Daily News for three years now. His beats have changed through his time there and he is currently writing history-related pieces.
He has multiple honors and awards, including in 2018 being FSU Student Leader of the Year and New England College Newspaper of the Year Second Runner-Up, by the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA).
Also in 2018, he was named a “Mark of Excellence” finalist for Feature Writing by the Society of Professional Journalists and in 2021 he was awarded first place in Environmental Reporting by NENPA.
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