Jose’s Journey: From Cuba to Champion
- Oscar Pinto
- May 16
- 7 min read
by Oscar Pinto
At 6:45 a.m., most average high school students wake up or are getting ready. However, at CCNN Live’s studio, Christopher Columbus High School's award-winning journalism program, one member, Jose Carlos Diaz, is already at school setting up the equipment for their acclaimed social media show, The Crusade.
Those who have Jose Carlos in class or are close friends with him know that he is a high-energy and highly passionate character. What stands out about him is the story of his journey from Cuba to Columbus.
Marcos Montesino, one of his friends, said, “He is definitely inspiring and is always trying his hardest no matter adversity and he always finds a way to perform his best work even though he is not at the spotlight he always finds a way to get better and work hard.”
Jose Carlos Diaz is a freshman Cuban immigrant who moved from Cuba in late 2022. During the move, he faced many types of hardships that the average kid does not experience.
“In Cuba, we didn’t have the same conditions or opportunities in education as we do here,” he said.
Here at Columbus, he was able to join CCNN Live and thrive in Columbus, thanks to one of his biggest mentors and supporters, Omar Delgado, advisor of CCNN Live and a close family friend of Jose Carlos.
Through Omar and Columbus, he was able to thrive past the educational barriers and, most importantly, find a home at Columbus.
From Cuba to Miami
Since 2014, Jose Carlos had family in the United States; so from early on, his family dreamed of moving here to pursue the “American Dream.” That dream finally became a reality in September 2022, when they moved to Miami, Florida.
However, relocating to a new country meant a fresh start. Despite having family in the U.S., Jose Carlos didn’t have any friends. He had to rebuild everything while leaving the only world he had ever known.
“In Cuba, I had my whole family. Moving here was hard—leaving behind friends and family, learning a new language, and starting over. It was tough,” he said.
During the immigration process, when he was just 11 years old, Jose Carlos was separated from his mother for five days, which he says was an experience that left a deep scar on him.
“The hardest part was being separated from my mom at the border for five days. I was only 11, and that was…difficult,” he said.
Although Jose Carlos had to endure that painful experience, on Sept. 29, 2022, he officially entered the United States.
Education and Language Barriers
One of his first major challenges was learning to speak English. He knew that if he was going to succeed in this country, he needed to speak the language well. He began a race against time to adapt, and it took a toll on him mentally.
“First week, I was sad, and I was crying because I didn’t understand anything that they were saying,” he said.
The hardest part was that if you do not understand the language you are being taught in, it’s nearly impossible to learn.
According to The Insurance University, “Students with limited English proficiency often struggle to comprehend lessons, participate in discussions, and complete assignments, leading to lower academic performance.”
But Jose Carlos was determined enough to learn the language before entering high school. By the time he applied to Columbus, where speaking English was a must, he had made significant progress.
To get into Columbus, like any student, he had to take the HSPT, a 300-question test based on English and Math. At first, Jose Carlos was not accepted. But what he did have was an opportunity. Columbus offered summer school in exchange for a spot in the school. So Jose Carlos seized the opportunity and was off to summer school.
And Jose’s sister, Carla, sees Jose’s progress.
"Jose has always been a very smart kid. We didn't grow up with many opportunities, but we always stuck together. Getting accepted into Columbus means more to us than just a school; for Jose, it’s a start to a new life,” Carla said in a CCNN story.
Finding a Home
CCNN Live has been a cornerstone of Jose’s life since he joined. And Delgado saw Jose's potential from the start and saw him stand out from the rest.
“I fell in love with CCNN at Somerset Prep,” Jose said. “There was a TV program there, and I started doing it. It was fun, and I had friends who were joining CCNN. Omar Delgado—he’s like a mentor to me—told me I’d have fun here and that it would give me opportunities.”
Jose Carlos competed in CCNN and filmed many different types of packages and videos. He says that CCNN has made him more mature and more responsible through making stories like one about Roly Fernandez.
“One of my favorite stories was about Roly, a man who was in jail for 35 years for something he didn’t do,” Jose said. “He was separated from his daughter for all those years. That story impacted me. It made me realize that you have to live life to the fullest because you don’t know what could happen tomorrow.”
At CCNN, the team always goes every year to STN (Student Television Network), a national competition where the best of the best high school journalism students go head-to-head. CCNN has, for the past two years, won the Crazy 8 challenge, becoming national champions.
When Jose Carlos joined CCNN Live, Mr. Delgado was impressed with his skills behind a camera, so Jose Carlos made the national team and was off to compete in Orlando for the national championship, where he was assigned to compete in the Vertical Nat Package.
Once again, for the third year in a row, CCNN came home victorious, making them national champions once again. It meant the world to them, but to Jose Carlos, it meant the universe.
“It feels amazing to be a national champion, especially as an immigrant. You’re the different one, the one who came from another country and made it. I feel proud,” he said.
His Adopted Father
And Jose' journey would not be complete without Delgado, who met Jose's mom, and then Jose shortly thereafter.
“So, her being an immigrant here and working, she decided to bring her family over, and the day they came over is when I met Jose, and my first instinct of him was that he was a very caring, loving kid that I just grew to see as like an adopted son.”
Over time, Delgado took Jose Carlos under his wing and taught him everything that he knew. He has grown both professionally and personally, both as a journalist and as a human being, and through that, his confidence has gone up.
Delgado said, “He was very shy, timid, and very afraid of his culture. He didn't want to, like, fully commit to the culture. But now, he's a completely different person…Every day I see improvement in him, and I'm very proud of him.”
Delgado has taught many students with different types of backgrounds. He has taught them many different types of life lessons. Although Jose Carlos is different, there is something about him that is special.
“When Jose decides he's going to do something, he's going to get it done. It might not be the way you want it to get done, but he's going to get it done. He's a very self-motivated, self-driven human being, and I think that comes from his parents.”
Many times, students join CCNN to have an extracurricular; after all, they have won 3 national titles, which is very prestigious. What most students don’t know is the pressure they have to improve themselves and to learn, and the level of responsibility that comes with being the best. Jose Carlos demonstrated to Delgado that he can become the best and that he will become the best CCNN kid.
“When I tell you that this kid would stay in school every single day until eight or nine o'clock at night and whatever sport was being played here, whether it was lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, football, baseball, whatever, he was out there with his camera, taking photos, taking pictures, building his social media website up,” Delgado said.
Although Jose Carlos has had plenty of success, he has had obstacles when joining the program.
"The number one difficulty was figuring out a way of getting him to Columbus and getting school paid for…And I mean, it's been a huge growth throughout the year, Delgado said."
This year, CCNN won its 3rd national title, a very prestigious accomplishment. Even though “CCNN has always been family" Delgado said this win felt like it was something a little more than just CCNN.
“Personally, for me, this national title was special on multiple levels. My wife and her middle school program won one as well, which my son was there for. And then having Jose with me in this one, for me, it was really like personal family because I had, like, my adopted son, my real son, and my wife, dear, so it meant a lot to me.”
Through this process, not only has Jose learned deep life lessons, but more importantly, Delgado has. He has learned plenty of things, such as being a better dad.
“I think it's taught me how to be a better dad with my son. But having Jose here and having him, like, maybe a father figure for him and him to kind of be like a son figure, which is what I wanted. I want him to feel like he earned everything, and he did," Delgado said.
His Future
Jose Carlos, just as a freshman years ago, experienced life-scarring experiences. Now, he is a national champion. While he did a bunch of work and went through rough patches in his life, he is forever grateful to everyone who helped him during the journey.
“My biggest inspiration is making my family proud. Outside of my family, it’s Omar Delgado. He’s played a huge role in my life,” he said.
Jose Carlos wants to pursue journalism throughout college. He is a proud immigrant who wants to make known the struggles of an immigrant.
“I hope to tell stories about immigrant communities, especially Cubans. When I do stories like that, I feel proud," Jose Carlos said.
Many times, human beings take for granted the opportunities we are given. Jose Carlos, on the contrary, is more than grateful for the opportunity he earned for himself at Columbus.
“I came from Cuba, and I had no opportunities for myself. But now I have made it to Columbus, and I have the best opportunities of my life.
CCNN's story on Jose:
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