By Alvand Abdolsalehi
Only at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention will you find more people with the last names of Garcia, Hernandez and Martinez than you ever anticipated.
But the real question is this: What is the most popular last name at the NAHJ convention?
“Definitely Garcia,” said Amanda Portillo, a student from the University of Arizona working on the NAHJ student projects. “Actually, wait. I change my mind. Definitely, Gonzalez.”
“I’d say Gonzales,” said Doug Mitchell, project manager of the NAHJ student projects. “Gonzales with an ‘s’.”
Strike 1.
“I’ve seen a lot of Sanchez’s at the convention,” said Josh Sanchez, a journalist attending the convention from Florida. “Just going by the names in the program, Sanchez seems pretty popular here”
Strike 2.
It’s got to be Garcia,” said Diego Arias, a journalist from Florida. “Yeah, I’m going with Garcia.”
“Probably Garcia or Gomez,” said Carlos Gonzalez, a mentor for the student projects. “You know, any of the typical ‘Johnson’ versions of Hispanic names.”
Strike 3.
You’re out. Thanks for playing. We’ll see you again next year in Las Vegas.
Oh, how rude of me. I apologize. I forgot to give you the correct answer. Alright, I’ll give you one more chance to redeem yourself….
“There’s Diaz. I’ve also seen Ortiz a lot,” said Tom Krymkowski, a student project mentor. “But if I had to bet on it, I’d say Rodriguez.”
“Rodriguez, because that’s the highest ranked Hispanic name,” said Adam Perez, a student from the University of Southern California.
“Rodriguez seems very popular,” said Frida Villalobos, a student project mentor.
Seems like you’re pretty confident with Rodriguez. Let’s check in with our judge, NAHJ membership coordinator Paulo Luizaga.
According to Luizaga, Garcia came in second place with 23 members out of nearly 900 registered, followed by Hernandez and Martinez with about 20 each.
And the winner is…
“Rodriguez! Yes, Rodriguez is the most popular name here,” said Luizaga.
Rodriguez took the crown with 29 members at the convention.
.
And to all the Rodriguez’s out there, I commend you for producing such an impressive turnout at the convention.
