What was your first job as a journalist?
I started my career as a general assignment reporter for La Voz, a weekly newspaper out of Phoenix, Arizona. Before that I did book reviews.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. But before I did my mother used to typewrite the fiction stories I wrote by hand in a notebook.
How is social media changing news?
People are empowered to document abuse when it happens.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Louis Lane.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's to be a rabid and hardheaded watchdog, to harbor a foundation of compassion and love that coexist with a heavy dose of skepticism.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
No idea.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
You can send me an email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Adobe Premier, Maratz radio recorder, patience.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram.
Who do you wish followed you?
Anyone that cares about making a difference in the world.
Why did you become a journalist?
At first it was a job in which I could use my writing skills, three months into it my curiosity and love for people found a home.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
The concept of a high school newspaper didn't exist in my country. I'm curious if it's only a U.S. thing.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm not proud specifically of one story, when I look back I'm proud that I have stayed close to my community and to everyday people.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Go to where there's no other journalists.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Whenever.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I really can't think of it, I respect what people want to share.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I can't think of it.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I could be doing interviews somewhere in Texas, Flagstaff, Mexico, or running to the editing bays to edit a student.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker, Jacobin, Gatopardo.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That anything happening with immigration started yesterday.
