Our Story

From Student Media to Community Storytelling

HTX Voices was founded by Juan Elizondo as a student-centered media initiative designed to give young people opportunities to have their experiences, accomplishments, and contributions documented through professional storytelling.

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From 2020 to 2022, funding through the XQ Super School Project helped establish and expand the HTX Voices internship program. Grant funding supported media equipment, student training, paid internships, and real-world production experiences in video production, photography, editing, interviewing, storytelling, and project leadership.

A central leader in that work was Luis Cruz, a Houston-born and raised media producer and entrepreneur who served as a director and lead trainer for the HTX Voices internship program. Cruz led student training, guided media productions, and helped develop the professional structure of the internship program. He has continued that work professionally through HTX Multimedia Production.

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Today, HTX Voices continues through educational and community storytelling collaborations rather than as a standalone media production facility.

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At Furr High School, Elizondo works through the Career and Technical Education Agriculture program and its Environmental and Natural Resources pathway to highlight students as they participate in service-learning projects that strengthen and uplift their communities.

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Through film and storytelling, Elizondo and Cruz document these experiences while encouraging students to tell their own stories and share their perspectives on camera. Students reflect on what they are learning, explain the environmental and community work they are completing, and communicate why those experiences matter to them and the people they serve.

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At a time when young people are constantly surrounded by social media and digital content, HTX Voices encourages students to take pride in being represented through service, leadership, learning, and positive contributions to their communities. Through interviews, photography, and documentary footage, students are captured planting trees, restoring habitats, caring for natural spaces, working alongside community partners, and taking responsibility for the places around them.

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These stories help students see that their actions are worth documenting and sharing. They also provide visible examples of what it can look like to be a young community ambassador, someone who serves others, communicates what they have learned, and takes an active role in improving their environment.

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Storytelling therefore becomes part of the educational experience itself. Students practice communicating about environmental and natural resource topics while developing confidence in sharing their ideas, experiences, and reflections. Their documented work can also provide meaningful evidence of their experience for resumes, portfolios, college and career opportunities, and future internships.

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At the same time, these stories allow families, schools, partners, and the broader community to see young people actively contributing to environmental stewardship, service, and positive community development.

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HTX Voices also collaborates with Luis Cruz and HTX Multimedia Production on selected community and environmental storytelling projects. These collaborations help document work involving partners such as ACTS (Achieving Community Tasks Successfully), the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among other community organizations.

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The work has evolved, but the purpose remains the same: to amplify youth voices, recognize their contributions, and use storytelling to connect students, schools, and communities.