Cristina Villalonga

Cris Villalonga-Vivoni, better known as CV, is the health equity beat reporter for the Record-Journal, based in Meriden, Connecticut. Previously, as a Field Foundation fellow, Villalonga-Vivoni reported for the Windy City Times, a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ newspaper. Hailing from Puerto Rico, Villalonga-Vivoni holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in English from Boston College. When not on the beat, Villalonga-Vivoni can be found caring for horses at a local barn or on the couch cuddling a cat.

Ginny Monk

Ginny Monk is a housing reporter for The Connecticut Mirror, a nonprofit news site that reports on politics and policy across Connecticut. Previously, she covered real estate and consumer issues for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Monk was on the investigations team at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette where she reported on housing, homelessness and children’s welfare issues, including juvenile justice. As a data fellow with the University of Southern California’s Center for Health Journalism, she wrote a series of stories about the unnatural and preventable deaths of children in Arkansas. Monk grew up in Pencil Bluff, a small township in Arkansas, and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, where she was editor-in-chief of The Arkansas Traveler, the student paper.

Jeniece Roman

Jeniece Roman covers Indigenous communities in Connecticut and Long Island for WSHU, an NPR member radio station based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Prior to joining WSHU, Roman reported for Connecticut’s New Britain Herald and the Record-Journal in Meriden; she has won several awards from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. Roman earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University, majoring in journalism with a concentration in political science, and she was the student chapter president of the Society of Professional Journalists and the editor-in-chief of The Southern News, the student-run paper. Roman enjoys reading books, photography and true crime podcasts.

Lau Guzman

Lau Guzmán is a multimedia reporter, Latino Communities Lab, at The Record-Journal in Meriden, Connecticut. A recent graduate of New York University, she got into journalism by joining the staff of NYU Local, the university’s blog, writing breaking news, movie reviews, and more. Her work has also appeared in other NYU publications—Confluence, Embodied, Washington Square News and The Gallatin Review. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Guzmán was a NYU Gallatin Global Fellow in Urban Practice, working on a bilingual zine that focused on themes of history, Latinidad and belonging.

Record-Journal

The Record-Journal is a local print and digital daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, covering local news, sports and community news in the Central Connecticut area. Dating back to the years immediately following the American Civil War, it is owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business entity that also owns Westerly, Rhode Island's The Westerly Sun. Our Mission: To be the primary catalyst that motivates people to contribute to the intellectual, civic and economic vitality of our communities.

Record-Journal

The Record-Journal is a local print and digital daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, covering local news, sports and community news in the Central Connecticut area. Dating back to the years immediately following the American Civil War, it is owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business entity that also owns Westerly, Rhode Island's The Westerly Sun. Our Mission: To be the primary catalyst that motivates people to contribute to the intellectual, civic and economic vitality of our communities.

The Connecticut Mirror

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit digital news site with a mission to produce original, in-depth, nonpartisan journalism that informs residents about the impact of public policy, holds government accountable and amplifies diverse voices and perspectives. The goal is a stronger democracy in which all residents can more effectively participate in the development of public policy and hold government accountable for understanding and addressing the needs of the people.

New Haven Independent

The New Haven Independent is a nonprofit news site, and features reporting on New Haven neighborhoods, government, politics, criminal justice, schools, business, arts and culture. It is produced in conjunction with the Online Journalism Project, a nonprofit effort to promote stand-alone and hyperlocal news sites.

WSHU Public Radio

WSHU is an NPR member station, serving Connecticut and Long Island, New York since 1984, and owned and operated by Sacred Heart University. WSHU's mission is to be the unifying voice of the region: on the air, online and in person. It won the 2021 National Student Murrow Award for its series on the history of slavery on Long Island.

Camila Vallejo

Camila Vallejo reports for Connecticut Public Radio in Hartford, Connecticut, where she focuses on housing disparities in Fairfield County. She got her start in radio as an intern for that station, later becoming a producer for All Things Considered. Prior to radio, Vallejo freelanced for Hearst Connecticut Media, a network of newspapers and websites, the Record-Journal, and the Connecticut Health Investigative Team, a nonprofit web-based news service. As an intern for the Hartford Courant, a daily paper, she kept readers informed about local entertainment, food news, and more. Vallejo graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in journalism and communications. She grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut.