We are thrilled to welcome Mariana Duran as El Tecolote’s new bilingual, community reporter, joining us through the California Local News Fellowship — a state initiative run by UC Berkeley to invigorate local journalism in underserved communities.
For the next two years, Mariana will cover arts, culture, and local news that serves Latinx communities who live or work in San Francisco.
To help our readers get to know her, we asked Mariana about her inspirations, past work, and plans for reporting on our local community. Have a tip or story idea for Mariana? Send her an email at mariana@eltecolote.org.
What inspired you to pursue journalism, and how did you find your way to El Tecolote?
Growing up, I thought I either wanted to be a writer or an artist. I loved writing stories inspired by the people I met and the places I visited, but I always stuck to fiction.
When I attended Pomona College, I joined my school paper as an illustrator. After reading the stories I was illustrating, I realized I wanted to write them too. I quickly found that journalism was about telling real stories, which felt more important than fiction. That’s when I knew this was something I wanted to pursue full time.
My sophomore year, I interned at The Tribune in San Luis Obispo County, where I covered everything from sharks to murder trials. That experience confirmed my passion for journalism. I later became news editor at my school paper, overseeing our newly funded translation desk. Last year, I also interned at the Los Angeles Times for their En Español section, writing long-form feature stories on culture and immigration.
Through all these experiences, I’ve developed a passion for covering bilingual and Latinx communities. I feel really lucky to be part of the California Local News Fellowship and even luckier to be matched with a newspaper that has so much impact in the community.
Can you tell us about a memorable story you’ve worked on in the past, and why it was significant to you?
One of my favorite stories was for my school paper, covering unfair labor practices as staff members from a neighboring college sought to unionize. Some of the workers involved only spoke Spanish, and since I was the only fully fluent reporter at the time, I conducted the interviews with them. It was my first experience with bilingual journalism.
The story involved a complex web of sources—workers, union leaders, labor lawyers, student activists, and the administration. It was challenging but rewarding to navigate all those voices and weave together a coherent story. Before this, I knew nothing about labor law, and it was fascinating to learn on the job.
This story was significant because it opened my eyes to labor reporting, a beat I’ve grown to love. It also allowed me to spotlight the struggles of monolingual Spanish speakers and ensure they had access to vital information. The translation desk we created for this story became a permanent fixture for our paper, allowing me to expand those efforts throughout my time as a news editor.
What are some topics or issues you are passionate about covering within San Francisco’s Latinx communities?
I’m honestly excited about everything! I’m new to the city, so this job offers an incredible opportunity to explore its complexities. I’m especially passionate about covering labor and culture, which are beats I’ve enjoyed in the past. I’m also excited to dive into topics like housing and health inequities, which I know El Tecolote has done a wonderful job spotlighting.
What do you believe is the role of a journalist?
There are many levels to this. At its core, I believe it’s our job to connect people to information that might be hard to obtain otherwise but is crucial for understanding the world around them. Sometimes that means holding those in power accountable, and sometimes it’s about giving a voice to people in marginalized communities whose stories may be misunderstood or overlooked.
It’s so important to capture nuances in these stories. The world functions better when we understand and care for one another, and the best way to achieve that is by fostering empathy through storytelling.
What do you enjoy doing outside of reporting?
I love drawing and painting — I carry a sketchbook with me and doodle whenever I have time. I also enjoy traveling and exploring new places, and having just moved to San Francisco, I’m eager to get to know the city better. I’m always open to recommendations! I’m also trying to get back into surfing, something I enjoyed while living in Southern California — hopefully, the water isn’t too cold here!