Dr. Hada Sanchez Gonzalez specializes in ways to inform digital journalism by training entrepreneurial aspects in order to create digital projects through new information models.
As a Visiting Scholar at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) at University of California, Berkeley, her research focused on artificial intelligence and how it is vital in the path of verifying information in the face of disinformation around the globe. Gonzales also serves as an Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Seville in Spain.
“I believe it is necessary to train young university students to meet the demands of the professional environment,” Gonzales said in an email.
“To instill the ability in them to learn entrepreneurship by using smart technology and digitization, that allow[s] young minds to create and develop their own digitized, entrepreneurial projects.”
Sanchez said that her research interest stemmed from teaching journalism in Spain. Her journey to UC Berkeley was supported by a grant from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program. Her future prospects after Berkeley remain focused on innovation in relation to journalism assisted by new intelligent technologies.
“Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset through gamification and social entrepreneurship at universities as well as increasing society’s digital literacy in fighting against disinformation [is my focus],” she further explained.
Her decision to choose UC Berkeley was also influenced by the draw of Silicon Valley as well as the program she was associated with at Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship (BMoE).
“It not only drives individual student success, but also promotes social and economic progress,” she said.
For Gonzales, her research having influence on how knowledge is transferred to society through teaching is her prowess.
“While it is true that research can be exhausting, and sometimes frustrating, what encourages me to continue the daily struggle is the passion I feel for my work, which is enhanced even more when I know that the research could be useful to others,” she further implored.
Her commitment to teaching social entrepreneurship into the field of journalism is also developed through a transmedia educational platform that she founded in 2019. The platform has been unveiled through presentations in different regions in the world, including Spain, the USA and Puerto Rico.
However, she believes that her greatest achievement comes from knowing that her research has benefited other scholars working in similar fields and how it has aided others in their investigations. Although, one of the challenging factors of being at Berkeley was leaving one’s home as well as to be a working mother, as things were not easy.
“Needless to say, in my career as a researcher, I have had to overcome several hurdles … I truly believe that this type of demanding project helps us grow in many ways, and to progress, not only professionally, but personally as well. ”