Special Series and Fellowships

Laura loves to dig deep and understand how complex social problems affect people’s daily lives and their futures. She’s produced several special series with the support of national fellowships, including the Education Writers Association and Renaissance Journalism’s Equity Project.

Work
IMG_9104-1067x800.jpg
In Struggle To Fix Special Education, Texas Charter Schools Still Lag Behind

Houston Public Media

This story uncovers gaps in services for students with disabilities at Texas charter schools. It was part of a four-part investigative series about special education in Texas, which was named best radio series in 2020 by the Barbara Jordan Media Awards. The awards recognize journalism that accurately and positively reports on individuals with disabilities.

Read More →
2017-10-24_DACA_9077-1200x800.jpg
How Harvey And The Move To End DACA Interrupted One Houston Student's College Plan

Here & Now / Houston Public Media

For a year, Laura followed one Houston high school’s ambitious endeavor to create a new model for school, after it won a $10 million dollar grant from the XQ Institute. Along the way, Laura told stories about innovative classes, the longtime principal’s storied career -- and unexpected ouster -- and the impact of real world events on students.

Read More →
IMG_1191.jpg
Many Pakistani Kids Must Mix Work With School

Here & Now / Houston Public Media


Laura traveled to Pakistan with the Internatinal Center for Journalists’ U.S.-Pakistan Journalists Exchange. During the fellowship, she and other U.S. journalists visited Pakistani newsrooms, nonprofits and advocacy groups. Laura reported from Karachi and produced two features about education in Pakistan, which aired on NPR and WBUR’s Here & Now.

Read More →
Students_standing_together.jpg
Inside the Classroom: Two Students At Two High Schools Talk About Extreme Contrasts

Houston Public Media

Laura launched the series “Inside the Classroom” to feature what educator looks and feels like for the people who experience it the most: students, educators and parents. The intimate, non-narrated audio portraits follow a StoryCorps style and drew a lot of positive feedback from listeners who shared “driveway moments.” This piece with two students at markedly different schools was featured in a presentation at the Education Writers Association’s National Seminar in 2016.

Read More →
20150323_yolanda_canales_0019_Credit_Eric-Kayne800px.jpg
How Parents Search for Opportunities for Their Children And Find Different Results

Houston Public Media

This piece was part of a series called “Fair or Falling Short?” It examined how Texas pays for public schools and inequities in the system. Laura produced the series through a fellowship from “The Equity Reporting Project: Restoring the Promise of Education,” which was developed by Renaissance Journalism with funding from the Ford Foundation.

Read More →

Digital

Laura has a knack for telling stories in a compelling and visual way online. She’s quick to publish breaking news with accuracy and flair. She’s eager to find new, creative ways to explain complicated subjects in a meaningful way.

Work
cfoc-25under-5up_custom-04115bc5750ab76b37fac09fc93fbced8de1b7df-s1600-c85.jpg
For These Young, Nontraditional College Students, Adulting Is A Requirement

NPR

Laura contributed to this special series about the changing face of college in the U.S. She profiled Diana Platas, a Dreamer in Houston who overcame financial challenges, social barriers and a natural disaster to become the first in her family to graduate from college.

Read More →
gettyimages-959921280_slide-5c7ac2d8d291bb11976b95a718ea29b9ab713625-s1000-c85.jpg
This Teen Nearly Died In A School Shooting. Now She's Just Trying To Live

NPR

Sarah Grace Salazar was shot at point-blank range in a mass shooting at her Texas high school. Laura followed her for nearly a year and gave listeners an intimate view of her physical and emotional recovery. Still needing surgery to remove toxic lead pellets in her body, Sarah found comfort in the love and faith of her mom, four sisters and best friend.

Read More →
isensee-textbook2_custom-502125159556717f534475a1b113e1aff3d6fabb-s600-c85.jpg
Why Calling Slaves 'Workers' Is More Than An Editing Error

NPR

This digital piece is one of several in Laura’s portfolio that examine racist and controversial curriculum in Texas textbooks. She reported for national outlets how the state’s social studies standards were drafted to call Moses a “Founding Father” and downplay slavery’s role in the Civil War.

Read More →
01_title_.gif
Learn How Texas Funds Public Schools In 7 Easy Steps

Houston Public Media

Laura collaborated with a creative artist and an expert in school finance to create this animated graphic to explain the complicated school finance system in Texas. The graphic was part of a multimedia series about inequities in Texas education funding, which was supported with a grant from the Education Writers Association.

Read More →

Print

 Laura is persistent and detailed in her reporting, whether she’s covering daily news or digging up enterprise stories. She also enjoys documenting magical moments in our daily lives that can turn into history.

Work
Learning From Trayvon
Learning From Trayvon

The Miami Herald

After Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, Laura contributed to coverage in his home community. She covered student walk-outs in protest over his shooting and profiled this ethics class at his alma mater, Miami Gardens High, that examined his death.

Read More →
Crumbling Schools
Crumbling Schools

The Miami Herald

As part of the Herald’s education team, Laura investigated the dilapidated state of many classrooms in Miami-Dade and Broward county schools. They also produced a database where readers could look up the condition at their neighborhood school.

Read More →
The Mayor And The Swindler
The Mayor And The Swindler

The Miami Herald

Laura was the beat reporter for Hialeah, the second largest city in Miami-Dade County, when she teamed up with the Herald’s federal courts reporter to investigate the Hialeah mayor. They got a tip that the mayor, Julio Robaina, had a shadow loan business and was connected to a convicted Ponzi schemer known as “Felipito.” The series eventually led to federal charges of tax evasion against the mayor and won first place in political reporting from the Green Eyeshade Awards.

Read More →
Los Angeles eyes Owens Lake for huge solar project
Los Angeles eyes Owens Lake for huge solar project

Reuters

Laura covered the solar power industry and other clean technology while a stringer for Reuters’ bureau in Los Angeles. She also contributed to breaking news coverage, such as the death of Michael Jackson.

Read More →
Hottest Ticket in America
Hottest Ticket in America

The Dallas Morning News

Laura covered the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama from the National Mall when she interned with The Dallas Morning News at its bureau in Washignton, D.C. Laura focused on connecting political stories with readers back in Texas.

Read More →

En Español

Laura got her start writing for a startup Spanish-language newspaper in Texas. She also participated in a fellowship at Clarín in Buenos Aires through Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She regularly uses her Spanish to report and connect with people.

Work
Onda verde en los funerales: fabrican ataúdes ecológicos
Onda verde en los funerales: fabrican ataúdes ecológicos

Clarín

During her fellowship with Clarín, Laura contributed to the features section. She also produced a spread about an increasing number of unaccompanied minors from Africa who sought asylum in Argentina.

Read More →
Nueva Orleans Se Renueva Gracias A Los Jornaleros
Nueva Orleans Se Renueva Gracias A Los Jornaleros

Rumbo

Laura covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans twice: first a few weeks after the storm hit, with the National Guard still mobilized, and again six months later. This piece for RUMBO detailed how the disaster economy drew immigrant workers from all over the United States to help rebuild the devastated city.

Read More →
Si Viene De Vaca Texana, ¿Puede Ser Leche Lala?
Si Viene De Vaca Texana, ¿Puede Ser Leche Lala?

Rumbo

This was Laura’s debut piece on the business beat for the start-up Spanish-language community newspaper, RUMBO. She enjoyed covering the success of immigrant entrepreneurs in Texas. She later was promoted to City Hall reporter for the paper.

Read More →

Awards

Laura’s work has been recognized by the Public Media Journalists Assocation, the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters awards and the Green Eyeshade Awards, among others. She’s most proud of awards for feature storytelling, use of sound and beat reporting.

Work
gettyimages-840660398_slide-a90a48698e09271e0ee2a3b8745f21e562e98265-s1600-c85.jpg
Hurricane Harvey Continuing Coverage

The Texas Newsroom

Laura was part of a state-wide team of reporters that won first place for continuing coverage in 2017 from the Public Media Journalists Association. The Texas Newsroom covered how Hurricane Harvey damaged communities up and down the state’s coast and created one of the worst flooding disasters in U.S. history.

gettyimages-959921280_slide-5c7ac2d8d291bb11976b95a718ea29b9ab713625-s1000-c85.jpg
This Teen Nearly Died In A School Shooting. Now She's Just Trying To Live

NPR

This narrative piece tells the story of Sarah Grace Salazar and her difficult journey to recover from a mass shooting at her high school in Santa Fe, Texas. It won best serious radio feature for 2019 from the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Awards.

Alice-Quiroz1.jpg
A Nearly Three-Hour School Bus Ride Turns Into A Medical Emergency

Houston Public Media

The Texas Associated Press Broadcasters named Laura the best beat or specialty reporter for her work in 2018. This piece reflects some of that beat reporting, and, separately, it won best serious feature. Laura previously won top honors for beat reporting in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards in 2015.

download.jpeg
Salsa Lessons

WLRN

Laura co-produced this audio postcard about a middle school music teacher in South Florida. He honored his late father, a renowned Puerto Rican salsa bandleader, with a tribute album, which drew a Latin Grammy nomination. The piece was recognized by the Florida AP Broadcasters Awards for the use of sound.

The Mayor And The Swindler
The Mayor And The Swindler

The Miami Herald

Laura co-reported this investigation into the shadow banking business of a South Florida mayor who was seeking higher office. Later, federal authorities charged him with tax evasion. The series won first place in political reporting from the Green Eyeshade Awards.

Events

Laura frequently moderates panels about education in Greater Houston and Texas. She’s also joined national education conferences as a speaker and moderator. One of her favorite appearances: a talk about how to find your compass for TEDxYouth@Houston.

Work
Rice University President David Leebron Examines Challenges, Opportunities for Colleges Amid COVID-19
Rice University President David Leebron Examines Challenges, Opportunities for Colleges Amid COVID-19

Asia Society

Laura moderated this livestreamed conversation with Rice University President David Leebron about higher education in the age of COVID-19. It was part of a series of online chats about the coronavirus pandemic produced by the nonprofit cultural group, Asia Society.

Read More →
2017-11-08_STORYSLAM_2582-1200x800.jpg
Teacher Story Slam: Educators Share Their Take On Innovation, Challenges

Houston Public Media

Laura produced this live storytelling event featuring teachers’ stories from the classroom and their lives. Recorded stories were rebroadcast on the radio and highlighted online. The story slam was the capstone in a grant-funded series about a new model for high school.

Read More →
Find Your Compass
Find Your Compass

TEDxYouth@Houston

In this TEDx talk, Laura shared some of the unexpected twists and turns in her early journalism career and gave advice on how to find your compass to a group of high school and college students in Houston.

Read More →