On Radio and TV, Alumna Provides a Voice for Her Community

Alumna Delia Rodriguez-Masjoan, who earned her B.A. in Spanish in 2008 and her C.A.G.S. in nonprofit studies in 2011, has become a voice for immigrant communities through her careers as both an advocate and a broadcaster. 

Rodriguez-Masjoan takes pride in her experiences brought about through her roles as a bilingual (Spanish/English) TV and radio host, a nonprofit consultant with expertise in civic engagement and leadership development, and an immigration specialist.

Since 1997, every Wednesday morning, the Spanish-speaking community of Rhode Island and nearby states has heard her enthusiastic voice with that melodious Argentinian accent on Poder 102.1 – a radio segment aimed at the Latino immigrant community.  

The show is broadcast from seven to eight in the morning and deals mainly with immigration. People call the station to ask questions on air about this topic. 

“I used to go on air to talk about the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. When I started the segment on Poder 102.1 titled ‘De frente con el poder,’ I was an immigration caseworker in charge of the citizenship program at the International Institute in Providence [now DORCAS International Institute of Rhode Island]. I was there for eight years,” says Rodriguez-Masjoan. 

“Back then, nonprofit agencies that work with immigration received accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals [BIA], which allowed their employees to represent clients in immigration as if they were attorneys,” she says. “I was accredited as a BIA and eventually became director of community outreach at the institute.”

Although born in the United States, Rodriguez-Masjoan was raised in Argentina. In the late 80s, she moved to the United States with her husband and a toddler son and had to go through the arduous and extensive process of meeting the documentation requirements to legalize her family. At the time, her English was limited and “almost no one spoke Spanish or another language in government services,” she says.  

With the knowledge gained during that process, Rodriguez-Masjoan created Developing and Empowering Latinos in America in the early 2000s. This nonprofit provides information, education and support services to Latinos and immigrants to ease their transition into American society. A couple of years later, she co-founded the Latina Leadership Institute, a program that helps women of Latino heritage develop their leadership skills.

“Our Lieutenant Governor, Sabina Matos [another RIC alumna], was part of the first cohort organization, as well as Maria Rivera, the mayor of Central Falls, and several other Latinas elected to office,” she says.

Throughout the years, Rodriguez-Masjoan has taught several courses at various organizations on civic participation to cultivate community leaders.

“At my courses, people are educated about employment, housing accessibility and the resources that exist in their neighborhoods and how they are managed at the city, state and federal level,” she says. “We attend Providence City Council meetings and visit the electoral offices at the city and state level to learn what the legislative house is like and even how laws are made. In addition, people gain knowledge on how to use these resources to benefit their community.”

At the Providence Public School District, Rodriguez-Masjoan manages the District-Wide Advisory Council and the Student Advisory Council. The first is a group of 15 leaders, educators and parents of Providence who meet with Superintendent Javier Montañez, M.Ed. ’03 and Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green monthly to discuss community and district improvements.  

“The Student Advisory Council is a group of 40 students, grades five through 12, from Providence schools. We all meet with the superintendent every month and train these students in leadership skills so that they can get involved in their schools and work with their principal to address issues that affect them or that are important to them,” she says.

All these years of advocacy and leadership provided an opportunity for Rodriguez-Masjoan to be part of WPRI 12 since June 2024 as the host of 12 Informa, a digital Spanish-language news program on WPRI.com created to inform and educate the Spanish-speaking community. “WPRI 12 has identified the Latino community as an important public to reach,” she says. “As host, I invite guests onto the show from different organizations who offer services or programs for the community.”

Rodriguez-Masjoan is a determined woman who sees every opportunity as a learning moment. Long before working with the immigrant community, she saw her native Spanish as a tool to help educate and empower others.

“I believe all academic preparation is important,” she says. “At RIC, I learned that being bilingual can be used as an advantage in your professional development.

“I recommend Rhode Island College because it is accessible and it offers degrees in a lot of careers that we need today. Their art, music and theatre programs are incredible, not to mention their education, nursing and social work programs. I’ve seen many people come out of RIC and go on to very prolific careers.”

Learn more about RIC’s modern languages and certification in nonprofit studies programs.