2025 Community Journalist Fellows
Welcome 2025 Altavoz Lab Community Fellows!
After careful review of dozens of applications, we are thrilled to announce the 2025 recipients of the Altavoz Lab Community Fellowship!
Please join us in welcoming Claudia Yaujar-Amaro, José Luis Castillo, Carlos Berríos Polanco, Mónica Pirela, Leslie Hurtado, Jewél Jackson and Nadia Tamez-Robledo!
Each fellow is a local journalist affiliated with a civic-minded publication that is making a commitment to serving and empowering communities through storytelling. Our fellows have roots and continue to serve audiences from the Texas-Mexico border to Kansas to Puerto Rico and beyond.
Fellows, their publications, our mentors and Altavoz Lab’s engagement manager will be collaborating over the next seven months on reporting projects focused on social justice: from stories about recent policy changes denying Latino undocumented immigrants access to important rural services to the disparities in urban investments on Black and Brown youth. Some Altavoz Lab Community Fellowship projects will result in deeply investigative series, while others will aim to amplify findings related to environmental injustices or scams that target immigrants through audience engagement and community participation. All of the fellows will benefit from workshops on digital security, filing FOIAs, managing ambitious reporting projects, self-care and others.
Introducing the Altavoz Lab Puente Borderlands Fellow
We are also excited to be launching our inaugural Altavoz Lab Puente Borderlands Fellowship with the support of the Puente News Collaborative, a nonprofit supporting local newsrooms, and journalists, filling critical gaps in reporting across the U.S.-Mexico border. We are thrilled to announce Nadia Tamez-Robledo as our Altavoz Lab Puente Borderlands Fellow.
English Cohort
Jewél Jackson
South Side Weekly, Illinois
Jewél Jackson is a multimedia investigative journalist reporting on youth, culture and society in Chicago, IL and nationwide. She has juggled many roles as a project manager, researcher, journalist and audio producer. In Chicago, she previously focused on K-12 education for the Illinois Answers Project as an investigative reporter and has also covered higher education for El Paso Matters and for various social justice movements in her hometown of Louisville, KY. Additionally, Jackson proudly mentors young journalists, has produced numerous radio segments for local public radio stations and is an alumna of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
MENTOR:
Sylvia A. Harvey
Journalist & Author
Independent
Leslie Hurtado
Cicero Independiente, Illinois
Leslie Hurtado is an award-winning journalist whose bilingual, community-rooted reporting serves Cicero and Berwyn, IL. As the environmental reporter for Cicero Independiente, she translates dense findings into clear steps families can use. Her Ability Park series examined how a new playground had been built on historically contaminated land and the risks faced by residents. It earned a Peter Lisagor Award for best environmental coverage. A two-time City Bureau Civic Reporting Fellow, she investigated environmental impacts tied to Little Village’s industrial-corridor expansion, including demolition dust. Her reporting has been co-published with Borderless Magazine, Inside Climate News, WBEZ and South Side Weekly. She has also been recognized with a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Chicago Headline Club Watchdog Award.
MENTOR:
Tina Vasquez
Features Editor
Prism
Nadia Tamez-Robledo
EdSurge/Puente News Collaborative, Texas
Nadia Tamez-Robledo is a K-12 reporter for EdSurge, covering the intersection of mental health, demographics and innovation in public education. She has previously worked as a reporter on the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, and the Coastal Bend in Corpus Christi. Nadia holds a degree in mass communication from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a MS in data analytics from the University of Houston-Downtown. She is a former MJ Bear Fellow, EWA Fellow and most recently was a panelist on education data at the NICAR 2025 conference. As a proud native of San Benito in the Rio Grande Valley, she believes community journalism is at its best when it works hardest for those who are furthest from power.
Puente Borderlands Fellow
MENTOR:
Perla Trevizo
Investigative Journalist
ProPublica-Texas Tribune
¡Damos la bienvenida a los periodistas comunitarios becados por Altavoz Lab 2025!
Después de una cuidadosa revisión de docenas de solicitudes, ¡nos complace anunciar a las y los beneficiarios de la Beca de Altavoz Lab para periodistas comunitarios de 2025!
Damos la bienvenida a Claudia Yaujar-Amaro, José Luis Castillo, Carlos Berríos Polanco, Mónica Pirela, Leslie Hurtado, Jewél Jackson y Nadia Tamez-Robledo.
Cada becado es un periodista local afiliado a una publicación con vocación cívica que se compromete a servir y empoderar a las comunidades a través de la narración de historias. Nuestros becados tienen raíces y continúan sirviendo a audiencias que van desde la frontera entre Texas y México hasta Kansas, Puerto Rico y más allá.
Durante los próximos siete meses, los becados, sus publicaciones, nuestros mentores y la gerente de participación de Altavoz Lab colaborarán en proyectos periodísticos enfocados en la justicia social: desde historias sobre recientes cambios de política que niegan a inmigrantes latinos indocumentados el acceso a importantes servicios rurales, hasta las desigualdades en la inversión urbana en jóvenes negros y latinos.
Algunos proyectos de la Beca de Altavoz Lab para periodistas comunitarios darán como resultado series de investigación en profundidad, mientras que otros buscarán amplificar hallazgos relacionados con injusticias ambientales o estafas que afectan a inmigrantes, a través de la participación y el compromiso comunitario. Todos los becados recibirán talleres sobre seguridad digital, presentación de solicitudes FOIA, manejo de proyectos periodísticos ambiciosos, autocuidado y otros temas.
Grupo de becados en español
Claudia Yaujar-Amaro
Planeta Venus, Kansas
Claudia Yaujar Amaro es la fundadora y editora en jefe de Planeta Venus, una sala de redacción bilingüe con sede en Wichita, KS, dedicada a informar, conectar y empoderar a la comunidad latina a través del periodismo comunitario. Originaria de México y residente en Kansas desde hace más de 20 años, Claudia combina su década de experiencia como comunicadora, facilitadora comunitaria y líder cívica para promover el acceso a la información en comunidades tradicionalmente marginadas. Bajo su liderazgo, Planeta Venus ha impulsado iniciativas como clases de alfabetización digital, investigaciones periodísticas con impacto social, y eventos que celebran el talento y la contribución de los latinos en Kansas. Claudia ha recibido becas del Reynolds Journalism Institute y el CUNY Center for Community Media, desde donde continúa desarrollando herramientas y recursos para periodistas que cubren temas de inmigración e inclusión.
Claudia Yaujar Amaro is the founder and editor-in-chief of Planeta Venus, a bilingual newsroom based in Wichita, Kansas, dedicated to informing, connecting, and empowering the Latino community through community journalism. With more than a decade of experience in media, Claudia has turned Planeta Venus into a trusted source of local news in Spanish, covering essential issues such as immigration, health, education, political representation, and civil rights. Originally from Mexico and a resident of Kansas for more than twenty years, Claudia combines her experience as a communicator, community facilitator, and civic leader to promote access to information in traditionally marginalized communities. Claudia actively participates in national journalism training and collaboration spaces, including fellowships with the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the CUNY Center for Community Media, where she continues to develop tools and resources for journalists covering immigration and inclusion.
MENTOR:
Ruxandra Guidi
Impact & Engagement Manager
Altavoz Lab
Carlos E. Berríos Polanco
9 millones, Puerto Rico
Carlos Berríos Polanco es un periodista multimedia independiente de Caguas, Puerto Rico, que se centra en temas ambientales, conflictos y su intersección. Le apasiona leer documentos judiciales y presentar solicitudes de información a agencias gubernamentales. Sus reportajes han sido publicados en Latino Rebels, New Internationalist, and Copwatch Media, así como varios otros medios puertorriqueños. Sus fotos y videos han aparecido en documental “El Apagón / Aquí Vive Gente” de Bad Bunny, el documental “Privatized Resilience” del Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños del City University of New York, NBC News, Telemundo, Latino Rebels, The Intercept, Truthout, Gizmodo y 9 Millones.
Carlos Berríos Polanco is a freelance multimedia journalist focusing on environmental issues, conflict, and where they intersect. He loves reading court documents and submitting records requests to government agencies. His reporting has been published in Latino Rebels, New Internationalist, and Copwatch Media, as well as several other Puerto Rican outlets. His photos and videos have been featured in Bad Bunny’s documentary “El Apagón / Aquí Vive Gente,” the City University of New York’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies documentary “Privatized Resilience,” NBC News, Telemundo, Latino Rebels, The Intercept, Truthout, Gizmodo and 9 Millones.
MENTOR:
Mónica Ortiz Uribe
Journalist
Independent
José Luis Castillo
La Esquina de Texas, Texas
José Luis Castillo, nacido en Lima, Perú, es el fundador de La Esquina TX. Tiene casi 30 años de experiencia como periodista, editor y traductor y más de una década en investigación y protección al consumidor. Entre los medios con los que ha trabajado figura la Agencia Internacional de Noticias EFE, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Noticias Telemundo Digital, Telemundo Houston, Univision Houston, Aquí y Ahora de Univisión, The New York Times Syndicate, La República de Perú, La Vanguardia de España, entre otros. Ha sido galardonado con múltiples Emmy regionales y otros premios periodísticos por sus investigaciones en televisión y medios escritos.
José Luis Castillo, born in Lima, Peru, is the founder of La Esquina TX. He has nearly 30 years of experience as a journalist, editor, and translator, and more than a decade in consumer protection and investigative reporting. He has worked with outlets including Agencia Internacional de Noticias EFE, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Noticias Telemundo Digital, Telemundo Houston, Univision Houston, Univision’s Aquí y Ahora, The New York Times Syndicate, La República (Peru), La Vanguardia (Spain), among others. He has been recognized with multiple regional Emmy Awards and other journalism prizes for his investigative work in television and print media.
MENTOR:
Dagmar Thiel
Journalist & CEO
Fundamedios
Mónica Pirela
NotiVisión Georgia, Georgia
Mónica Pirela es una periodista venezolana dedicada a empoderar a la comunidad hispana de Georgia a través de un periodismo con impacto. En junio de 2024, bajo su liderazgo como directora ejecutiva, Notivisión Georgia ganó un premio Emmy por un reportaje sobre violencia doméstica, destacando la experiencia de una mujer hondureña. Más allá del periodismo digital, Mónica ha expandido su alcance en la radio, asegurando que las audiencias hispanohablantes se mantengan informadas a través de múltiples plataformas. En 2024, Notivisión Georgia lanzó un periódico bilingüe en inglés y español, con una distribución mensual de 5.000 copias. Esta iniciativa refuerza su misión de derribar barreras, fomentar la inclusión y conectar a toda la comunidad mediante información accesible y confiable sobre eventos locales, actualizaciones migratorias e historias culturales.
Mónica Pirela is a Venezuelan journalist dedicated to empowering Georgia’s Hispanic community through impactful storytelling. In June 2024, under her leadership as CEO, Notivisión Georgia won an Emmy Award for reporting on domestic violence, highlighting the experience of a Honduran woman. Beyond digital journalism, Mónica has expanded her influence in radio, ensuring Spanish-speaking audiences stay informed through multiple platforms. In 2024, Notivisión Georgia launched a bilingual English-Spanish newspaper, distributing 5,000 copies monthly. This initiative strengthens its mission to break barriers, foster inclusivity, and connect the entire community by providing accessible, reliable information on local events, immigration updates, and cultural stories.
MENTOR:
Mónica Ortiz Uribe
Journalist
Independent
Mentors
Dagmar Thiel is an Ecuadorian-German journalist and the CEO of Fundamedios, a non-profit organization dedicated to press freedoms and freedom of expression throughout the Americas. In her native Ecuador, Thiel reported for Ecuavisa and TC TV, and contributed to Spain’s El Pais newspaper and the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Mónica Ortiz Uribe is an independent reporter born and raised in El Paso who writes about the U.S./Mexico border and the American Southwest. Her work has appeared on National Public Radio and the El Paso Times. In 2020, she co-hosted the podcast Forgotten: The Women of Juárez about the disappearance and murder of women in El Paso’s Mexican sister city. The production was listed among the top ten podcasts of 2020 by the Atlantic.
Perla Trevizo is a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit. Trevizo is a Mexican-American reporter born in Ciudad Juárez and raised across the border in El Paso, Texas, where she began her journalism career. Trevizo spent more than a decade covering immigration and border issues in Tennessee and Arizona before joining the Houston Chronicle as an environmental reporter. She was part of the team that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist last year. Recognitions for her work also include Texas’ top award for investigative reporting two years in a row and an Edward R. Murrow award.
Ruxandra Guidi has been telling stories for more than two decades. After earning a Master’s degree in journalism from U.C. Berkeley in 2002, she has worked as a documentary audio producer, a features writer, and an editor for both English and Spanish publications throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Fonografia Collective, co-founded in 2005 with her partner Bear Guerra, has consulted with various news and community organizations on placemaking, trainings and public engagement in an effort to make empathetic and culturally-sensitive documentary storytelling more accessible.
Sylvia A. Harvey, widely known as SAH, is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker whose work sits at the intersection of race, class, policy, and incarceration. Her acclaimed book, The Shadow System: Mass Incarceration and the American Family, was a finalist for the Media for a Just Society Awards. SAH’s reporting appears in The Nation, Elle, Vox, Politico, and more, and is cited by lawmakers and taught in university classrooms. She is the founder of Just Love, an emerging nonprofit that will provide justice-involved young adults with training in journalism and financial literacy.
Tina Vasquez is a movement journalist with more than 15 years of experience reporting on immigration, reproductive injustice, food, labor, and Latino culture. Currently, she is the features editor at the nonprofit newsroom Prism and serves on the board of Press On, a Southern journalism collective that strengthens and expands the practice of journalism in service of liberation. Tina was born and raised in Southeast Los Angeles and currently calls North Carolina home.
