Texas

Berenice Garcia

Before joining Texas Tribune, Berenice Garcia covered local governments across various cities in the Rio Grande Valley, crime and general assignments, as well as spearheaded healthcare coverage at The Monitor newspaper. A Valley native, she traveled east to earn her bachelor's degree in journalism and politics from New York University. During her time there, she interned at NBC News, the Daily Beast and the New York Daily News. When she's not reporting, Berenice enjoys getting the wind knocked out of her at the gym.

Brenda Hernandez

Brenda Hernandez-Rodriguez is a first generation Mexican-American Latina multimedia journalist. Her spark for journalism and higher education started with her high school newspaper. She holds a bachelor's degree in writing & rhetoric with a journalism concentration. As a college student at St.Edward’s University she completed five internship experiences and was a part of Hilltop Views, the university newspaper. Her written and spoken Spanish fluency has allowed her to curate community-focused articles about the Latino community in her hometown. Brenda is a multimedia journalist who always seeks to grow and expand her video and photographic skill set. Brenda has an unwavering passion and dedication for journalism and hopes to make her career something her parents will be proud of.

Nadia Lathan

Nadia Lathan covers the Texas statehouse with a focus on energy for the Associated Press. Before joining AP, Lathan covered culture, policy, and health as an intern at the Investigative Reporting Program and a science writer for UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She helped report on the 2024 presidential primaries as an intern at The Mercury News and East Bay Times and has written about the Bay Area’s proactive transportation community for Oaklandside. Lathan holds a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics from University of Redlands. In 2021, she studied social policy as a foreign exchange student at University of Oxford. She adores biking, playing with her cat, and listening to technology podcasts when away from her desk.

Dallas Free Press

Dallas Free Press, a nonprofit news site, launched in January 2020 with the mission of amplifying voices and exploring solutions to the city’s systemic inequities. It focuses community journalism efforts on three zip codes in South Dallas and West Dallas, which are predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, respectively.

The Associated Press – Texas

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate and unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, digital-first news organization that informs and engages with Texans on public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. This news organization's site provides vital information and news to millions of Texans for free, and its journalism is distributed through more than 60 statewide media partners to local outlets. Partnerships with platforms including ProPublica, Apple News, and SmartNews put its content before a nationwide audience.

Raquel Villatoro

Raquel Villatoro covers health challenges in northeast Texas for Tyler Morning Telegraph. Villatoro previously interned at The Acadiana Advocate in Lafayette, Louisiana covering various beats from arts and culture to health, while focusing on the Latinx community. Villatoro wrote for the news and arts and life sections at the student newspaper while attending the University of North Texas. They have a bachelor's degree in journalism and history.

Victoria Advocate

The Victoria Advocate is 175 years old, and the second oldest daily paper in Texas. This family-owned community paper and news site is committed to reporting daily news, features, and hard-hitting investigations, holding officials accountable.

Patrick Sloan-Turner

Patrick Sloan-Turner covers education in Victoria, Texas, and its surrounding communities for the Victoria Advocate, the second oldest paper in the Lone Star State. Prior to joining the Advocate, Sloan-Turner covered university governance at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois for the school’s student-run independent newspaper, The DePaulia. There, he also covered topics like Chicago politics, crime, healthcare and others, while serving as the outlet’s Online Managing Editor. Prior to his pursuit of a bachelor’s in journalism at DePaul, Sloan-Turner worked as a stringer at his hometown newspaper, the Lansing State Journal in Lansing, Michigan. It was there that he was first inspired to become a journalist after witnessing the Journal’s impressive coverage of the Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State University.

Adrian Ashford

Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News. Prior to joining The Dallas Morning News, Adrian worked as a co-op for The Boston Globe and interned with Washington Monthly, The Delaware News Journal, and Philadelphia Magazine. Adrian majored in Social Studies at Harvard University and wrote a senior thesis on religious liberty and evolving interpretations of the First Amendment. He also served as an executive editor, Arts Chair, and magazine staff writer for his student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson. In 2023, Adrian was named a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ cultural criticism award for his arts criticism at The Boston Globe. Outside of work, Adrian loves dancing, camping, and getting lost in a good TV show.