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ABOUT SEBASTIANA LOPEZ

Sebastiana Lopez is a bilingual journalist based in New York City. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Temple University in Philadelphia. Lopez aims to give underrepresented communities a voice in the media world.

As an Indigenous Mexican American growing up in the world’s borough, she walked streets filled with the scents of food from different countries. A mix of languages danced from morning to night as people interacted with one another. On every corner of each block existed a different world of traditions, music, and food.

The city’s diversity influenced Lopez to highlight and showcase the beauty of differences within it. From Colombian coffee shops to South Asian buffets, community is what allowed these hubs of people to live side by side and share their food, culture, and traditions.

Sebastiana attended Benjamin N. Cardozo High School’s journalism program, where she began developing her multimedia skills. After school, she also became an athlete. Rowing for Row New York where they made the sport accesible to the young people of New York City while breaking barriers in the sport.

Sebastiana led the program and her teammates to the finish line while creating space for athletes of color like herself in the sport. Her success earned her medals from different races including placing second place in the New York State Championships.

Sebastiana was recruited to a Division I rowing program in 2020 in Pittsburgh, marking a significant achievement in her athletic career. She later transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia, where she experienced greater success and growth both on and off the water.

In 2023, Rowing in Color, an organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the sport, selected Sebastiana and four other individuals to launch the first-ever Indigenous boat at the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest and most prestigious rowing race in the United States, held annually each fall.

Through this milestone, Sebastiana continued to fight for visibility and representation within the sport of rowing.

During her transition to Temple University, Lopez adapted quickly and deepened her appreciation for the journalism program, developing on-camera skills and learning proper studio etiquette. Supported by her professors, she discovered a passion for broadcast journalism. She immersed herself into the immigrant community in Philadelphia and found gems around the city of brotherly love. Remidning her of home, she was able to communicate with these communities in their native language and showcase different Hispanic owned businesses. Her story Fear Creeps into the Italian Market earned an Eppy Award at the end of 2025.

After graduating, Sebastiana moved back home to New York City ready to contribute to a newsroom and discover new skills.