BOCA RATON, Fla. — A rising star at Calusa Elementary School in Boca Raton is paving the way for Latinx children to dream big.
At 9 years old, Cristina Areu interviews young Latinx from Disney stars to Netflix actors.
"I'm the youngest Latinx podcaster in the whole United States," Areu said.
Areu has the dream job she didn’t even know she wanted, interviewing young Latinx stars from Disney shows and movies, Netflix, and more.
"It's actually really fun picking," Areu said. "I watch TV, I see a person I really like and then I look them up see if they are Latinx and if they are then I can see if I can interview them."
Areu is the youngest podcaster for reVolver, a podcast platform created to connect with the U.S. Hispanic audience.
But how did this inquisitive fourth grader become an interviewer? It runs in the family.
Her mom, Cathy Areu, is a political journalist.
"Cristina, with her unicorn headband, would just go right up and ask these intimidating people, um, hey, what are you doing? Do you like it? And they would just melt," Cathy Areu said.
And just like any other true journalist, Cristina does her homework, after her fourth grade homework of course.
"Oh yeah, I looked you up," Areu said to WPTV journalist Michelle Quesada. "You’re a Cuban-American and you started in Georgia."
Her goal is to continue to pave the way for Latinx children to be seen and heard.
"Learning about their stories because you already know about your life, and I already know about my life, but I want to know about other people’s lives," Areu said.
She has a message for anyone who wants to do what she’s doing.
"I will tell them follow your dreams and never give up even when times are hard, never give up," Areu said.