Ursuline High School teacher creates Spanish Youtube channel for Hispanic community
A Mahoning Valley high school teacher has started a YouTube channel to create a sense of unity, promote cultural pride, and strengthen the Hispanic community’s presence and impact in the region.
Paulina Montaldo, who started Somos Youngstown in October 2024, said it is meant to serve as a valuable resource by sharing information about nonprofit services and helping community members access essential support.
“With the growing Hispanic population in the area, I saw the need to create a program in Spanish to not only inform and highlight the contributions of Hispanics in the area, but also promote the small Hispanic businesses that are being created here and provide information about the services and opportunities that this area offers for the Hispanic community,” she said.
Montaldo covers key issues in the Hispanic community by not only highlighting new small businesses but also sharing the stories of individuals who have made significant contributions in their fields.
Some episodes include:
Hispanics in STEM and Innovation - Stories like Vicente Suárez, an Ecuadorian engineer at NASA who led the Sapphire Project, which improved fire control during spacecraft launches. His success led to the development of three additional NASA projects.
Philanthropy and Education – The impact of Puerto Ricans Elba and Shorty Navarro, who have donated over a million dollars to Youngstown State University, supporting education and future generations.
Community Support and Advocacy – Dr. Alicia Prieto Langarica, a Mexican professor at YSU, who organized food distribution events for students during the COVID-19 shutdown and was recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America in 2019.
Montaldo said the feedback she has received for Somos Youngstown has been overwhelmingly positive, especially on Facebook, where people frequently comment, share, and express their gratitude for the show.
She said many viewers appreciate hearing stories in their native language, as it creates a deeper connection and sense of belonging.
“It brings me great joy when someone tells me that, thanks to the show, they were able to access the help they needed or that a featured business gained new clients,” she said. “Additionally, local places—not just Hispanic-owned businesses—have also thanked me for promoting them.”
She said, for example, places like the Arms Museum’s Christmas show and performances at DeYor have seen a small but meaningful increase in visitors after being highlighted on the show.
“Seeing the small impact Somos Youngstown has on the community in these five months makes it all worthwhile,” Montaldo said.
The channel currently has more than 200 subscribers but Montaldo said with each new show, which airs every Sunday, she gets new followers.
Montaldo hopes the channel will benefit the community by providing a dedicated platform to celebrate and uplift the Hispanic community in Youngstown.
“It fosters visibility for Hispanic individuals, families, and entrepreneurs, showcasing their contributions and inspiring others through their stories,” she said. “And by promoting local businesses and startups, Somos Youngstown encourages economic growth and empowers entrepreneurs.”
Montaldo moved to the United States in 2001 from Santiago, Chile after earning a degree in Communications from Universidad Central del Ecuador.
With years of experience as a television reporter and producer, she worked for Televisión Nacional de Chile and served as a press correspondent for Univision’s Primer Impacto based in Florida.
Montaldo is now a Broadcast Journalism teacher at Ursuline High School and a member of the Youngstown Press Club. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Youngstown State University from 2011 to 2024.