Raquel has been working as a journalist for 20 years.

“I joined my college newspaper, and then I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for money for the rest of my life.”

She started in public radio at KQED in San Francisco, California, and after getting a masters in journalism at Berkeley, she went on to work for the Associated Press, both as a print and video journalist. After 9 years at AP, she returned to public broadcasting and the Bay area where she reports, produces and edits audio and video at KQED.

“I like to go out into the world, see things firsthand, meet people and cut to the quick of what’s important to them,” she says. “I’ll admit, I like the adrenaline.”

But Raquel is particularly passionate about explanatory journalism.

“I think you have to assume that people will care and then give them reasons to care, and then pull back the curtain and show them how the world works. The best stories do that, and that’s what I aspire to do.”

She says she’s looking forward to reporting from Jalisco because of the political changes taking place in Mexico. With AMLO’s recent election, she says she’s excited to witness the lead-up to his taking office in December, as people work out what his presidency may or may not mean for the country. She also says that being able to do her reporting with the support of the IWMF’s Adelante Fellowship is a fantastic opportunity.

“I’ve dipped my toe in international reporting several times throughout my career, but this is unique in that we have good resources, we have support, we have training. So much of journalism gets done on the cheap these days, and I think we’re all learning best practices, which is so important.”

— Haley Joelle Ott, Fall 2018 Mexico Reporting Fellow

Jae C. Hong