Fresno – Esther Quintanilla has joined the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative (CVJC) as a reporter focused on covering English language learner communities and multilingual education in the central San Joaquin Valley. She officially began her role on January 6.
She’s previously reported with KVPR through the Central Valley News Collaborative, a partnership between The Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle, KVPR and Radio Bilingüe. Her work has been featured on KQED, NPR and Radio Bilingüe. Her stories on farmworkers, the Central Valley floods, and the closure of Madera Community Hospital earned her three Golden Mike awards and two regional Edward R. Murrow awards.
She also collaborated with NPR’s 1A Remaking America series following the collapse of Bitwise Industries.
Esther is a San Joaquin Valley native. She grew up in Bakersfield and moved to the northern Valley in 2017 to earn a B.A. in English from the University of California, Merced. Soon after, she attended the University of Southern California and received an M.S. in Journalism.
“We are thrilled to welcome Esther to the team,” said Joe Kieta, executive editor of CVJC. “As an English language learner herself, she has a unique perspective on the issues these students face. Her education coverage will help fill in a blind spot for local news and will be offered to news organizations throughout the region.”
Contact & Additional Information
- Joe Kieta, Executive Editor, CVJC
Email: joe@cvlocaljournalism.org
You can also visit the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative’s website at www.cvlocaljournalism.org for the latest updates and published stories.
About the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
Launched by the James B. McClatchy Foundation (JBMF) in 2021 as part of its sunset strategy, the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative (CVJC) is a new nonprofit infrastructure dedicated to keeping public service journalism thriving in California’s Central Valley despite the collapse of the traditional media industry over the last 15 years, and the outright demise of independent local news in many communities. JBMF is establishing this new journalism collaborative as a commitment to the Valley’s multiracial communities to fortify First Amendment press freedoms, strengthen diversity in journalism, and give visibility to perspectives often marginalized in mainstream news – core values to the Foundation’s mission and vision.