The Modesto Focus is thrilled to announce the arrival of new bilingual communities reporter Ximena Loeza.
Ximena joins the Focus after completing a two-year California Local News Fellowship through the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. During her fellowship she worked at Bay Area local news nonprofit El Tímpano, where she reported on Contra Costa County’s Latinx and Mayan immigrant populations. While there she also led Spanish-language outreach through SMS campaigns, community events and newsletter distribution.
A graduate of San Francisco State University with a journalism degree and criminal justice minor, Ximena has had her work appear on KQED and Univision and in Oaklandside, Contra Costa Pulse and El Tecolote.
The Bay Area native speaks Spanish fluently and is excited to begin reporting on the diverse bilingual communities of Modesto and Stanislaus County.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining The Modesto Focus and their talented and dedicated team of journalists,” she said. “I’m driven to begin producing quality and empathetic bilingual journalism for Modesto’s large Spanish-speaking population, an incredibly underserved community. I hope to cover topics ranging from housing, health, culture, and highlighting the immigrant community.”
You can meet Ximena, and other Modesto Focus staff, in person at the Modesto Certified Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the community outreach booth.
To contact Ximena with story ideas and tips, email ximena@cvlocaljournalism.org.