Samantha Rodriguez

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

an aspiring journalist & filmmaker

I'm an Undergraduate student at the University of Miami, majoring in Television Writing and Journalism. Scroll below to see my exciting articles and broadcasts!

Miami Herald •

‘Still grieving’: Famed Miami director’s family marks his first birthday without him

Barbara Stern would call her son Jeff Baena, the acclaimed screenwriter who co-wrote “I Heart Huckabees” and “Horse Girl,” at 8:30 p.m. on June 29 every year. It’s the exact minute he was born, a moment she’ll never forget.

This year, however, he won’t answer.

Baena, who grew up in Miami, died by suicide in his Los Angeles home on Jan. 3. He was 47.

His family and friends were stunned as his career had taken off. “Horse Girl’ premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and was picked up b...
The Miami Hurricane •

Happy birthday, Jeff Baena

Barbara Stern would call her son Jeff Baena, the acclaimed screenwriter who co-wrote “I Heart Huckabees” and “Horse Girl,” at 8:30 p.m. on June 29 every year. It’s the exact minute he was born, a moment she’ll never forget. This year, however, he won’t answer.

Baena, who grew up in Miami, died by suicide in his Los Angeles home on Jan. 3. He was 47. His family and friends were stunned. If you ask his brother, father, mother and childhood friends about their plans to remember Jeff on his birthday, there would be a moment of silence.

Ever since Jeff mo...
The Miami Hurricane •

Ruben Rabasa knows the perfect day in Miami

“Are you a homosexual?” That was the first thing comedian Ruben Rabasa heard when he arrived in America. “Are you a communist?” was next. He had a pretty rough welcome. Rabasa wants people to have a better one on their next summer trip to Miami.

“In 1980, I came back [to Miami] because that’s where my people are,” Rabasa said. “I love the water, the water in New York and California was too cold, so Miami was great.”

Learn Rabasa’s tips for an unforgettable (and safe) time in the 305. You d...
The Miami Hurricane •

Lewis Pullman’s Sentry already saved lives

Agoraphobic. Schizophrenic. Anxious. Marvel fans would never use these words to describe the Avengers. But, they do describe one character who is more powerful than all of them.

The Sentry has the power of a million exploding suns. He can fly across the world in milliseconds. That’s also how long it takes for depression to catch up with him. 

The golden god’s kryptonite is himself. That’s what makes him the best Marvel character according to his fans. And why he gives them the courage to l...
The Miami Hurricane •

Question reality with Jack Quaid in ‘Neighborhood Watch’

Telling the police you saw a girl get kidnapped while dealing with imaginary bugs under your skin? Tricky. Recruiting a retired security guard who tells kids to get off his lawn every morning to help? Even trickier.

Jack Quaid’s Simon handles mayhem, murder and mental health in “Neighborhood Watch.” He witnesses a kidnapping and urges the police to help. But, after looking up his record, they ignore the paranoid schizophrenic. 

Simon follows plan Z: get help from the neighborhood Karen, Je...
The Miami Hurricane •

Jonathan Majors looks in the mirror, Killian Maddox stares back

Killian Maddox is creation and destruction. The disturbed bodybuilder, played by Jonathan Majors in “Magazine Dreams,” can snap at any moment. Just like Majors, according to his past partners.

In 2023, Majors’ art mimicked his life. He was found guilty of striking his ex-partner Grace Jabbari and fracturing her middle finger. After attending his court-mandated domestic violence intervention program, Majors looks for a comeback with Maddox at his side.

“My first impressions were: [Maddox] i...
The Miami Hurricane •

A viral ‘The Office’ themed wedding is not a joke, Jim

Zach and Nicole Burgh wanted a wedding like no other. They chose the perfect cake, tux and gown, but something was missing.

“We wanted [the wedding] to feel like us,” Nicole said. “We wanted to capture who we are and our circle of people.”

They brainstormed ways to make a wedding so entertaining, they could turn it into a bedtime story for their future kids. Then, it finally hit them.

“Zach brought it up first,” Nicole said. “He was like, ‘Well, what if we do it in 'The Office' style?’”...
The Miami Hurricane •

Alexis Garcia flexes his brass knuckles with ‘A Working Man’

Alexis Garcia has seen everything in the entertainment business. It’s easy to lose track of original ideas when you’ve been in the industry for over 20 years. 

With his new film label, CAT5, backed by Fifth Season, the studio behind Apple TV’s “Severance,” and production company, Brass Knuckles Films, founded with “Sin City” director Robert Rodriguez, Garcia aims to bring new heart-pumping action to the forefront. 

He’s already crushing the competition. “A Working Man,” CAT5’s first projec...
University of Miami School of Law •

Barbara Brown goes into the heart of property law with Robert Traurig-Greenberg LL.M. in Real Property Development

The School of Law's Robert Traurig/Greenberg Traurig LL.M. in Real Property Development has been globally ranked as a real estate law program by the LL.M. Guide. It's easy to see why.

Students learn real estate law in-depth and explore land acquisition, construction law, and planning strategies in one of America's hottest real estate markets in 2025. They take their skills to the outside world by working with the School of Architecture to work on case studies and look at property law from a busi...
UMTV •

Reel Talk | Episode 3 Danny Ramirez of Captain America: Brave New World + BTS with Anthony Mackie

Welcome to Reel Talk Episode 3! In this exciting episode, we sit down with Danny Ramirez, who plays a key role in the highly anticipated Captain America: Brave New World. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what went into making this epic new chapter in the Captain America saga, as Danny shares insights into his character, his experiences on set, and what fans can expect from the film.
University of Miami School of Law •

School of Law team wins inaugural Canes Contract Challenge

Third-year law student Lauren Skidmore believes the best learning happens outside the classroom. She put her philosophy into practice by helping to organize the first Canes Contract Challenge for local law students. Teams received negotiation prompts at the competition and had to think through them critically. Drafting contracts against the clock placed the students in a real-life law scenario. 

With the assistance of Marcia Narine Weldon, director of the Transactional Skills Program, adjunct fa...
The Miami Hurricane •

An eye-opening trip through Black history at the Black History 101 Mobile Museum

A Ku Klux Klan mask captured the eyes of attendees at the Black History Mobile Museum at the University of Miami’s Lakeside Auditorium on Feb. 6. Visitors went from seeing Jim Crow era memorabilia to photos of the 2020 Black Lives Matters protests as they traveled through time following the exhibit.

Though the journey ends on a hopeful note, exhibit organizer Dr. Khalid el-Hakim wants viewers to leave knowing there’s still work to do to preserve Black rights in America.

“It’s for students...
The Miami Hurricane •

‘A beacon of hope and love’: Remembering Professor Kathryn Sue Freeman

University of Miami Professor Kathryn Sue Freeman, known for making the stresses of her English students fade away with just a smile, died in her sleep at home on Jan. 24, 2025.

“My mind was rejecting it,” Rafaela Ochoa, one of Freeman’s past students, said. “I didn’t believe it.”

Freeman received her bachelor’s and doctorate in English literature from Yale before coming to UM as an assistant professor in 1992. Freeman has taught thousands of students over the years, though, being an educa...
The Miami Hurricane •

How Miami made ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ star Danny Ramirez

Actor Danny Ramirez dreamt of leaving Miami when he was eighteen. Having touched ground in the 305 for the second time in years on Feb. 16 after leaving to study acting in New York, he’s surprised he ever left.

To Ramirez, there’s no Miami without the ‘U.’ Ramirez has been a ’Cane’s football fan since first grade. Seeing Santana Moss, a ’Canes wide receiver, play one of his best games while on a Boy Scouts trip showed him heroes can come from Miami too. 

Now, Ramirez is a Miami hero of his...
The Miami Hurricane •

Orange Umbrella’s Super Bowl ad shows Doritos are the chip that counts

Doritos have been a staple Super Bowl snack for decades. The University of Miami’s Orange Umbrella reinvented the iconic brand as not just a chip, but a lifestyle in the student-run ad agency’s ad submission for Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make it into the final round. Still, Mavorah is confident the agency will never forget the experience and Orange Umbrella looks forward to trying again next year with more tricks up its sleeve.

The contest invites cr...
The Miami Hurricane •

Turning pain into peace: Director Kim Snyder breaks down Oscar-nominated documentary on Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting

Every time Samantha Fuentes enters a room she looks for the exits. Then, she identifies all the places where a shooter could barge in.  It’s a habit she’s had since seeing two of her classmates shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14, 2018.

Fuentes had hoped to leave the worst day of her life behind until she was subpoenaed to testify at the shooter’s sentencing trial in 2022. 

“Sorry, here’s an obvious question,” Fuentes asked the state prosecutors in a virtual meeting. “[T...
University of Miami School of Law •

Vietnamese Young ICCA scholar travels the world to practice arbitration

Hailing from Vietnam, Ha My Linh has been named the 2024-2025 Young ICCA Scholarship winner, which provides one full tuition award each year to the White & Case International Arbitration Program at the University of Miami School of Law.

At 18 years old, Linh had no idea what to do with her life. Her life changed when her sister told her she was good at arguing and should become a lawyer. Since then, her destiny has been clear to her.

Linh enrolled in the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam to earn her...
The Miami Hurricane •

UM’s TikTok takeover attracted the incoming class

Most freshmen look at #umiami on TikTok to see what their dream first day on campus can look like. With most posts showing gorgeous weather, state-of-the-art amenities and a vibrant city at your doorstep, it is no surprise TikTok has spotlighted the University of Miami.

With the previously proposed TikTok ban almost preventing the opportunity for freshmen to see what being a ’Cane is all about, the University could have lost an invaluable marketing tool and vital connection to the next genera...
The Miami Hurricane •

University of Miami professor wins $50,000 grant from the Miami Film Festival - The Miami Hurricane

Margaret Cardillo, an award-winning author, filmmaker and University of Miami professor, earned the top $50,000 prize from the Miami Film Festival’s The Louies competition, to create her upcoming documentary.

The contest awards documentary filmmakers funding grants and a premier spot in this year’s upcoming festival.

Cardillo will continue her lifelong work of documenting powerful women in history by telling the story of Jane Chastain, the nation’s first female sports broadcaster.

With...
University of Miami School of Law •

First-generation student is inspiration to his family

David “Didi” Malka started his college career as a frightened, first-generation freshman with an undeclared major in a sea of 70,000 students at the University of Central Florida. Now, as a 2L at the University of Miami School of Law, he's standing out and showing his family what chasing your dreams looks like.

In 2018, Malka had no one in his family to turn to for college advice. He learned to deal with college pressure and final exam stress by discovering a campus community that helped him rea...
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"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

Maya Angelou