On the Frontline
For Kayjel Mairena, journalism is an act of service that puts people first. After serving five years in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS George H.W. Bush as a welder, plumber, and firefighter, Kayjel arrived at Santa Monica College determined to pursue news centered on honesty, empathy, and community. He’d originally volunteered for Navy Public Affairs, but found the office more focused on recruitment than reporting.
At SMC, Kayjel immersed himself in The Corsair, the college’s studentrun media outlet. After first taking Journalism 1 to strengthen his skills, he joined the staff and steadily developed as a reporter, learning everything from interviewing and multimedia production to protest and community coverage.
His reporting included award-winning coverage of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles and Minneapolis — experiences that deepened his interest in crisis reporting and photojournalism. Yet some of his most meaningful stories portrayed the grassroots community organizations supporting underserved neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Faculty and staff across campus played an important role in his journey. Kayjel credits SMC professors with creating an environment where students feel genuinely supported and encouraged to think critically and pursue ambitious goals.
“They made it feel like no matter what I did, anything was possible,” he says.
This fall, Kayjel will transfer to the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism to continue studying journalism. He hopes to become a crisis photojournalist covering conflicts, protests, and humanitarian crises around the world.
“I’m just trying to help as many people as I can,” he says.