📝 Jimena Sandoval – A Champion of Visibility and Equity in Community Journalism

Q&A With Jimena:

What drew you to storytelling?

I was first drawn to storytelling as a way to survive and make sense of the world around me. Growing up as part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in El Salvador, I learned early that stories could protect us, humanize us, and push back against erasure. Storytelling became a tool for resistance and healing, one that allowed me to amplify voices that are often silenced, including my own. Through journalism, advocacy, and creative work, I use stories to reclaim dignity, build community, and imagine futures where we are seen, valued, and free.

A big part of your path has focused on communications for advocacy, particularly for California’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. How has that work informed your work today?

My work doing communications, marketing and public relations for The TransLatin@ Coalition, the largest trans-led organization in the country serving Latinx Immigrant TGI (Trans, Gender Diverse, and Intersex) communities—working across policy, advocacy, and direct service provision—was especially formative. Through that experience, I saw firsthand how structural inequities shape who gets visibility, whose stories are legitimized, and who is left out of media narratives altogether. Working alongside trans, queer, immigrant, and BIPOC communities taught me that communications is not just about messaging, it’s about responsibility, care, and accountability. I saw how often our communities are spoken about rather than with, and how traditional narratives can flatten or tokenize our experiences. I recognized the persistent barriers that underserved and underrepresented communities face in accessing marketing tools and meaningful media representation.

You founded Noisy Digital, the first trans-led marketing agency in Los Angeles. Tell us about it.

I founded Noisy Digital to fill a gap I noticed through my work with Project Bread in Boston, Bienestar Human Services, and The TransLatin@ Coalition. Many community-focused and low-budget organizations serving 2SLGBTQIA+ communities lacked access to marketing and communications that were culturally competent and tailored to their audiences. From providing resources to unhoused individuals to supporting people facing food insecurity, I understood how essential clear, accessible, and community-centered communications are. Our business model lowers costs for these services, helping organizations and the communities they serve have access to dignified, vital information while amplifying marginalized voices and centering lived experiences.

How did you first come across Altavoz Lab?

I first came across Altavoz Lab through my connection with Valeria Fernández and the incredible work she’s done supporting community-centered journalism. When I saw the opportunity for the Community Journalism Fellowships, I immediately recognized the importance of the initiative and the crucial work Altavoz Lab does to empower journalists who report with and for their communities. 

You are our new Outreach and Communications Coordinator (!) What do you hope this role can do for Altavoz Lab?

As Communications and Outreach Coordinator, I hope to help Altavoz Lab expand its reach and deepen its impact by connecting with more journalists, communities, and partners who share its commitment to community-centered reporting. I want to amplify the incredible work of the fellows, highlight stories that might otherwise go unheard, and ensure that Altavoz Lab’s programs are accessible and visible to the communities that need them most. Beyond visibility, I hope this role allows me to contribute strategically, shaping messaging, storytelling, and engagement in ways that strengthen Altavoz Lab’s mission while supporting journalists in creating work that is ethical, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience.

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