With television in her blood and Hispanic people in her heart, Paulina Montaldo created “Somos Youngstown.”
Translated as “We Are Youngstown,” the Spanish-language program, which airs on her YouTube channel and other social media, highlights topics of interest to the region’s growing Hispanic population.
A native of Chile now living in Poland, Ohio, Montaldo has twice made New Castle her home.
Esta semana entrevisto a un veterano de la guerra de Vietnam, radiodifusor y músico, Felipe González. También visito un nuevo restaurante mexicano en Niles. Bienvenidos.
Suscríbete y sígueme en instagram somos_youngstown.
She first traveled here in 1984, spending her senior year at Neshannock High School as an exchange student hosted by John and Sue Lockley and their family.
At the time she had already been working part-time as a correspondent for a TV station in Chile.
After attending college in Ecuador and pursuing a career as a TV reporter and producer for Television Nacional de Chile in Santiago and a foreign press correspondent working in the United States for Univision, Montaldo permanently relocated to the U.S. in 2001, settling in New Castle where she taught Spanish at the New Castle Christian Academy. She moved to Ohio about nine years ago after accepting positions as a language instructor at Youngstown State University and Ursuline High School in Youngstown.
“I still wanted to be a journalist, TV has been in my blood since I was a junior in high school, and I applied at the local TV stations, but my accent made it hard,” Montaldo recalled. “So, instead, I went to Geneva College and got my master’s degree in higher education.”
But, the career change didn’t dampen her love of telling stories. Sensing a need for news aimed at the Spanish-speaking population, she created “Somos Youngstown,” which debuted about two months ago, and has filmed seven episodes.
“I always had an idea of doing something TV-related,” said Montaldo who starts each episode with a local news summary followed by features on topics such as the pros and cons of flu shots and profiles of local Hispanic-owned businesses or Spanish-speaking residents.
“This week I profiled a Vietnam veteran, originally from Puerto Rico, who received the Purple Heart and currently has his own Spanish radio show,” Montaldo explained.
“I’m hoping at one point to get a sponsor,” she continued, noting she does most of her filming on her phone with occasional camera work and voiceover help from friends. Any proceeds from sponsorships would go toward purchasing better equipment including cameras and microphones.
“When I moved to the U.S. in 2001, I didn’t know anyone who spoke Spanish, so I organized a picnic at Pearson Park to bring the Spanish-speaking community together,” Montaldo recalled. “In the 10 years that we did that, I made a lot of Hispanic friends. This is my latest way to continue that.
“I named it ‘Somos Youngstown,’ but it’s really about the entire area, I’ve been to Girard and Niles and I know there are stories in New Castle,” she said. “Although I don’t live there anymore, New Castle is kind of like my home.”
“Somos Youngstown” episodes can be found at Montaldo’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@PaulinaMontaldo, and on Instagram at @somos_youngstown. Suggestions for story topics can be sent to her via email at somosyoungstown@gmail.com.