Experience

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  The Press Democrat

  • United States
  • Newspaper Publishing
  • 100 - 200 Employee

  • Local News Editor/ Special Projects

    • Jun 2021 - Present

    In this position I help coordinate and discuss stories that are in the daily print paper. I am also in charge of the weekly Towns section where I work one-on-one with handful of freelancers. My daily tasks include listen to story pitches, copy edit, headline writing, SEO, project management and I plan upcoming special sections, and projects for The Press Democrat. With special sections I plan the stories, assign them to freelancers, copy edit the content and get them ready for print and online presentations. I also coordinate with the photo team, advertising and marketing department the 16 to 36 page section. My focus as an editor is to highlight BIPOC issues, stories and events in our community. As a manager my my main priority is listen to my team's needs and to ensure they are supported as much as possible.2021 Awards: First and fifth special section cover, California News Publishers Association. (This is for my 22 People to Watch 2022 special section cover for dailies: 50,001 & over, dailies: 15,001-50,000, dailies: 15,000 and under.) Fifth place for special section, California News Publishers Association. (This was for The Press Democrat Cookbook for dailies: 50,001 and over, dailies: 15,001 - 50,000, dailies: 15,000 and under.)2022: Celebrating Charles Schulz special section that I designed and helped plan will be a part of the Library of Congress' permanent print collection.2023: I was a California News Publishers Association judge for Coverage of the Environment for dailies: 15,000 and under. I judged the submissions for thoroughness of reporting; explanation of issues; graphics and relevance to readers. My September Latino Living cover won third place for special section cover (dailies 50,000 & over). The Press Democrat won general excellence, California News Publishers Association (dailies 15,001-50,000). I also gave a presentation at the 2023 ACP Spring National College Media Conference about what it's like being an editor and a woman of color.

  • Designer/ Copy Editor

    • Jun 2017 - Jun 2021

    My position at The Press Democrat includes designing and editing pages for our daily publication. I usually design the North Coast section of the paper, which contains all of our local stories and begins on A3. I am also one four designers who frequently design A1. Besides helping design the news section, one day a week I lend a hand in designing weekend features covers. My day-to-day tasks include copy editing stories, writing headlines, decks, tweaking caption information and cutting wire stories to fit the space allotted. My responsibilities also include working for our sister publications: the North Bay Business Journal, Petaluma Argus Courier and the Sonoma-Index Tribune. When needed, I pop around to our other publications when extra assistance is needed or someone is out sick. The Press Democrat won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting for our coverage on the October wildfires that swept through the community. I was a member of the newsroom during that time and not only accomplished my daily tasks, but I designed infographics and maps to help further illustrate the destructiveness of the fires.2019: Third Place for Inside page layout and design, California News Publishers Association. My designs for the Golden State Warriors' Last Roar at Oracle won the California Journalism Awards Print Contest. 2018: Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting, Pulitzer Prize presented by Columbia University. The Press Democrat staff won the award for our coverage of the 2017 Northern California wildfires. I created two print graphics.

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  Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK

  • Neptune, NJ

  • Graphic Designer 3

    • Oct 2014 - May 2017
    • Neptune, NJ

    I was a Designer 3 at the Asbury Park Design Studio. My job includes designing special sections, posters, covers and inside pages for Gannett's 15 North East newspapers. I collaborate with editors from all around the East Coast to ensure workflow was on track, we made deadline and any design changes that needed to be tweaked, were made. I assist other designers with special projects as well as gave them feedback to help elevate their work. I also help teach new designers how to use our system and how to get comfortable with the entire Adobe Suite. During my final year at the Studio, I was asked to be a one of two designers that spearheaded the redesign of the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. We picked fonts, redesigned entire section fronts and planned inside pages to give the paper a more modern look.

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  Baltimore Business Journal

  • Baltimore, Maryland Area

  • Design Editor

    • Dec 2013 - Oct 2014
    • Baltimore, Maryland Area

    In this new position, my job is to lead the Baltimore Business Journal's design strategy for both the print and online editions. I am responsible for driving new and creative forms of story telling on all platforms. I work in concert with reporters, photographers and editors to create fresh and innovative pages. My responsibilities also include creating informational graphics and other eye catching design elements. I'm currently working using InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator to create the pages. The Baltimore Business Journal went through a redesign on January 17. Design consultant Mario Garcia has teamed up with our parent company, America City Business Journals to help launch each Business Journal's redesign. I learned the new Pinstripe model and used my creativity to create eye catching covers and cover stories.

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  Save the Redwoods League

  • San Francisco, California

  • Social Media Intern

    • Jun 2013 - Oct 2013
    • San Francisco, California

    As part of the Outreach Team, the main goal was to get people interested in saving the Redwoods through social media, contests and with our monthly newsletters. I worked on posting to social media; Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. I also worked with Google analytics to track which posts are generating the most traffic on each social media platform as well as getting people back to our site.I learned basic HTML and coding as well.Since I've been at Save the Redwoods:Increased Facebook traffic: 1,000+likesIncreased Twitter followers: 200+ followersStarted their Instagram: 220+followersKlout score: from 48 to 63

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  Golden Gate Xpress

  • Art Director/ Columnist

    • May 2012 - May 2013

    I designed our entire issue, depending on the week it could be 12, 16 or 20 pages. The paper included online teasers, pull out boxes, graphics and calendars. I also liked to change the layout of the front page for every issue. I also wrote a weekly column title Recycle After Reading. I used the knowledge I acquired from my environmental studies classes to write a column that discusses environmental issues in San Francisco. I have written about overpopulation, the harmful affects of birth control, environmental impacts of beef consumption and more. My main goals in writing the column was to not only educate myself but to educate the students of SF State on the impact they're having on Earth.On the lifestyle and culture blog for the Golden Gate Xpress, the Swamp, I co-wrote a column called Two Girls One Problem. The column topics range from discussing women's health issues to Nutella to rap videos. It's less serious but it's topics that are important to the SF State community.AWARDS: Pacemaker Award for Best Sports Page Design, National Scholastic Press Association (2013)

  • Assistant Art Director/ Arts and Entertainment writer

    • Dec 2011 - May 2012

    I created sports, campus and arts and entertainment pages using InDesign and Photoshop. I was allowed all the creative freedom that I could ask for. I also worked with a staff that was always honest when it came to my designs but wasn't afraid to pay compliments when it was deserved.

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  San Francisco Examiner

  • San Francisco, CA

  • Design Intern

    • May 2012 - Aug 2012
    • San Francisco, CA

    I helped layout pages including the local and arts and entertainment, food, wine and mixologist sections. This was the first time I was getting a feel for designing a paper with specific template. I was also exposed to some of the basics like using grids and using white space efficiently, which I had no real training on.

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  Gilroy Dispatch

  • Gilroy, CA

  • Editorial Intern

    • May 2011 - Aug 2011
    • Gilroy, CA

    I came up with pitches, met deadlines, took pictures and edited stories. I covered everything from education in the community to dance competitions.

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  Free Press

  • Gilroy, CA

  • Editor-in-Chief

    • Aug 2008 - May 2009
    • Gilroy, CA

    I was the editor-in-dhief of the Gilroy High School Free Press. I was in charge of overseeing the content we created, helping writers and editors come up with story ideas, laying out pages and editing content. It was here that got my first taste of AP Style, Photoshop and InDesign. In 2009, we won an award for general excellence from the Newspaper Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association.This was the first leadership role that I have taken at a publication. I learned how to run a newsroom and produce content all at the same time.

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  Free Press

  • Gilroy, CA

  • Features Editor/ Column Writer

    • Aug 2007 - May 2008
    • Gilroy, CA

    I was the features editor of the Gilroy High Free Press where we printed 10 issues a year. I created content for the two pages I had in every edition. We wrote stories on upcoming plays, concerts and did profiles on students and staff members. I was also responsible for creating the pages, picking and editing pictures.I was also co-wrote a column called "He Said, She Said". My colleague and I wrote our opinions on various topics from the male and female perspective.