SPRINGFIELD – It was a moment typical at an event such as a national political convention.

James Villalobos was offered an opportunity to interview Congressman Steve King of Iowa at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and had about 10 minutes to prepare for the interview.

Then he had to speak with King as he walked to another appointment.

Despite the pressure the Springfield resident and senior at the University of Massachusetts welcomed the chance.

Villalobos was one of two young Latino journalists who were selected through a national search by Fuse TV and VotoLatino to cover the two recent political conventions. Villalobos was at the RNC and then Fuse executives asked him to report at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), joining the other winner Arlene Santana.

Walking up a staircase with his crew with him, Villalobos said to King, “You’re known to be very anti-immigrant” and before he could finish his question, King replied, “No, I’m not. There’s not a single piece out there that does that. I’m opposed to illegal immigration only.”

Villalobos clearly angered King with the question and the congressman refused to talk about any solution for illegal immigration.

Immigration was one of the main topics Villalobos wanted to explore during the convention – a huge issue for many Latino voters.

For Villalobos having an opportunity such as that one was a “wonderful experience” for this training as a journalist. He told Reminder Publications he had “the greatest gratitude” to Fuse TV and VotoLatino for offering him the chance to cover the RNC.

What was fascinating for him was the ability to watch a convention up close and personal and see if the divided Republican Party would unite around Donald Trump.

“It’s a very, very interesting time in American politics,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Villalobos had to be prepared to think on his feet. He explained he arrived at the RNC on Sunday night and was on the air the next morning with an interview with fellow Springfield native and controversial Arizona sheriff, Joe Arpaio.

What helped him was the fact he had a team helping him, something new to him as a reporter who creates stories and files video on his own.

“I got lucky,” he said of his producing team.

Being able to also report from the DNC and the RNC, Villalobos was able to observe and compare the two events. He said he couldn’t help but notice at the RNC the lack of diversity. There were very few Latinos he said and the “Latinos for Trump” signs that were written in Spanish did not use correct Spanish he said.

He also noticed the stagecraft at the RNC. Villalobos was among the reporters there to cover Trump’s entrance. He said in an outdoor location dramatic music played while the helicopter carrying the candidate and his family circled once around the landing area before coming down.

“We thought we were in a movie,” Villalobos recalled. “It didn’t seem real.”

At the DNC, Villalobos said, “There were all races and all ages.” There was one problem that made his role as a reporter difficult: too many people.

He explained at the RNC reporters and crews could easily move around the convention floor to do their jobs, but the DNC there were too many people making movement “frustrating.” He believed the DNC was not as organized as the RNC.

The theme of the two conventions was also very different.

He believed the speeches at the RNC emphasized that Trump alone was going to save the country, while at the DNC the message was more about working together.

The addresses made by the candidates were also quite different to him.

Trump’s speech frightened him, while Clinton’s had a message of “better days ahead,” he explained.

The DNC gave him a chance to rub shoulders with celebrities as Villalobos received a big hug from actress and activist Rosario Dawson.

The experience at the two conventions has confirmed that a career in broadcast journalism is what he wants to do.

“Broadcasting is my passion. It’s what I want to continue to do. I’m so motivated to get to that level,” he said.

To see some of his reporting, go to www.fuse.tv/videos/2016/07/crash-the-parties-rnc-thursday-trump-video.