From Colombia to Emmy Nomination

KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 10, 2019

KSU grad makes waves in top 30 TV market

Miguel Santiesteban, a 2018 Kennesaw State University communications graduate, was nominated for a New England Emmy for deadline news reporting.

Santiesteban is one of four nominees in the category of “video journalist within 24 hours” for his composite of two stories, “Una Comunidad Hispana En Panico Y Otra Devastada.” It documented one Hispanic community after a school lockdown for a firearm threat and the devastation of another community for the murder of Puerto Rican mother. 

Miguel Santiesteban

Growing up in Colombia, Santiesteban pretended to be a radio host with his uncle and dreamed of being a reporter one day. When he arrived in the United States in 2013, he immediately began in Kennesaw State University’s English as a Second Language program.

For eight months he intently studied, practiced and learned the English language. By the time he was ready to continue on and pursue his bachelor’s degree, he knew he wanted to stay at KSU.

“I’d made friends, developed support and found my community at Kennesaw State. I wasn’t going to leave that,” Santiesteban said.

He had no hesitations on choosing his major in journalism and diving into making the most of his time at Kennesaw State. He worked with the International Student Association and helped organize intramural teams, volunteered with Cultural Learning Communities, and he and his co-host, Kamilia Daza, created “Spanglish: The Remix” which ran every Thursday on KSU Owl Radio during his time at Kennesaw State University.

“I wanted to leave something that was mine, that was my heritage at KSU,” he said, proud of developing this bilingual show for Kennesaw State.

It was that bilingual skill that helped Santiesteban make an impact as an intern at Fox 5. He found his legs as a reporter, and, through his languages, was able to help share a story from a Spanish-speaking community that no one else had been able to access.

From there, WSB-TV offered him an internship in Fall 2017 and he continued to prove he had what it took to be a reporter. That network of support he’d built through his campus involvement and internships led to an incredible job opportunity as a multimedia journalist/reporter with NBC/Telemundo Boston as a bureau reporter in Hartford, Connecticut, which are ranked 7 and 30 in the television market.

“I’m here because my mentors, because my family, because of everyone at KSU. I did not do this by myself, I had a lot of help. What KSU gave me was knowledge and a network of support,” Santiesteban said.

He’s ready to bring the news, and inspire a whole new generation behind him.

– Andrea Judy

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.