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Amaury Abreu ‘22 is a truly entrepreneurial student. The communication and media studies major at Millersville University is not only tackling his course load – he also launched his own bilingual newspaper in the middle of a pandemic.
The media outlet, Q’Hubo News, which means “What’s up?” in Columbian slang, first went to print in November of 2020 and also has an online version, available in Spanish and English. “Q’Hubo News started because we saw a need within the Hispanic community to have access to reliable news, both on a local and statewide level,” explains Abreu. “This company was created with the vision to collaborate, connect and empower our community and we have been doing with our content through the newspaper.”
Abreu explains that, in some ways, this project was years in the making. “I have been documenting stories of community leaders, business owners and politicians in Lebanon county for about three years and eventually had the opportunity to learn more about the media industry by being connected with people in the industry,” he shares. “The idea happened during a meeting with my previous business partners. At the beginning, it was 3 of us. After realizing the amount of work and complexity of our partnership, I offered to buy the business [from them] and so I did.”
Strating a company during a pandemic came with its challenges, Abreu shares. “The main challenge was to get all the different factors together, things like the printing company we were going to use,” he says. “The schedule for content that was going to be printed, getting advertisers to provide a free version of the newspaper and so forth. These things played a key role in the beginning of this business.”
Feedback from the paper’s readership has been overwhelmingly positive, shares Abreu. “They enjoy being able to have a publication that they can understand and have access to resources that they were not aware of in the past like employment opportunities, financial literacy education, healthcare education,” he says. He also notes that his education at MU has helped him in the process, providing him with a broad knowledge of how the field works. “[It’s given me] a more in-depth knowledge of communications, understanding the public and how to connect with our audience,” he explains. “Millersville has helped me become a better professional who is ready to engage with the challenges we face as a company.”
For Abreu, the starting this newspaper was really about finding a way to connect with others, and to include others in a conversation they might otherwise be able to patriciate in. Having access to critical information in a person’s first language, he shares, is essential. “[To me,] this newspaper means having the ability to connect people with information that could change their lives in a positive way,” he explains. “We measure our reach and through that information, [we] improve the way our communities engage with local news and resources. [It makes me feelReadability like] we are part of the greater good that is happening around us every day.”
The paper primarily reaches audiences in Lebanon, Lancaster and Philidelphia and is available online via the website or the Q’Hubo News app for both Apple and Android devices, or the Hispanglish Radio App, which is currently only offered for Apple devices. To pick up a print copy in Lancaster, visit The Ware Center or the Prince Street Café.
