Voice of OC Welcomes New Interns

California State University, Fullerton, seniors Gigi Gradillas and Hugo Rios joined the Voice of OC newsroom as Spring interns earlier this year. 

Gradillas will cover city news for La Habra, Brea, Costa Mesa, San Clemente and Laguna Beach.

“In my short time here so far, I have been truly inspired by these hard working journalists,” said Gradillas. “The entire team works so hard to cover Orange County and they do it with such integrity. I really am honored and grateful to be among this team.”

Rios, who also maintains a role as a Reporting Fellow for the CalMatters College Journalism Network, will cover the cities of Santa Ana and Westminster in addition to election coverage. 

“It’s great to work among a small staff that’s motivated and passionate about what they do, and how stories are covered,” said Rios. 

Both discovered a passion for local news reporting through their work in journalism. 

“Local news wasn’t always my passion. I definitely had an interest in entertainment, but I always appreciated covering stories that were happening in my own city,” said Gradillas. “The older I get, the more I see how much of a necessity it is to have local news coverage. My focus has shifted with the more experience I gain in journalism.”

Gradillas, 28, is currently a staff writer and editor at Tusk, a student magazine, where she writes about fertility options and digital panhandling. 

“Seeing the passion that people have for accountability reporting and holding those in power accountable motivated me to explore this area of journalism.”

Hugo Rios

“I started becoming interested in local accountability reporting while studying politics in college,” Rios said. “Seeing the passion that people have for accountability reporting and holding those in power accountable motivated me to explore this area of journalism.”

Rios, 24, has worked on the editorial staff at The Daily Titan for four years. 

Many of Voice of OC’s current staff worked as student reporters at The Daily Titan, including Noah Biesiada, Hosam Elattar and Civic Editor Spencer Custodio. 

“Cal State Fullerton is proud to continue to partner with Voice of OC… Many of Voice of OC’s leading reporters got their start at the Daily Titan in the Department of Communications at CSUF,” said Jason Shepard, Ph. D., Chair of the Department of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. 

“Partnerships between university journalism programs and local non-profit news organizations are growing across the U.S., and we hope CSUF and Voice of OC can be one of those models others can look to.”

Since starting as an intern, Rios has covered the California State University faculty strike and a sales tax raise in the City of Westminster, among other stories. 
Gradillas, who partnered with Rios and Elattar on a story about a pay raise for Brea city council members, also has covered Buena Park’s exploration of potential workplace laws and senior housing in Costa Mesa so far.