Elizabeth Aguilera
Assistant Professor of Journalism | Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Biography
Elizabeth Aguilera is an award-winning multimedia journalist. She joined CalMatters in 2016 from Southern California Public Radio/KPCC 89.3 where she produced stories about community health. Her reporting there revealed lead-tainted soil on school campuses near a former lead battery recycling plant that spurred district action. Previously Aguilera was a staff writer at the San Diego Union-Tribune where she covered immigration and demographics. At the U-T, she won a “Best of the West” award for her coverage of sex trafficking between Mexico and the United States. At the Denver Post, where Aguilera wrote about urban affairs and business, she was named a Livingston Award finalist for her reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Aguilera has also worked at the Orange County Register. She is a Marshall Memorial Fellow and an International Center for Journalists alum. She is also a lifetime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The L.A. native is a graduate of Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California. She lives in Los Angeles.
Education (3)
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism,: M.A., Specialized Journalism 2010
Pepperdine University,: B.A., Political Science and Journalism 1997
Cerritos Community College: AA, Journalism and Public Relations 1995
Areas of Expertise (5)
Editing and Production
Social Issues
Podcasting
Reporting
Radio Production
Accomplishments (5)
Price Child Health and Welfare Journalism Award, Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego
2020
National Edward R. Murrow Award for “Graying California,”
2020
California Fellow, Association of Health Care Journalists Conference
2020 (postponed to 2021)
California Fellow, Association of Health Care Journalists Conference
2019
One of the most “Influential Latinas” in journalism in Los Angeles, CCNMA
2018
Affiliations (5)
- SAG-AFTRA : Member
- Cerritos Community College : Journalism Advisory Board
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) : Lifetime Member
- Association of Health Care Journalists : Member
- CCNMA, California Latino Journalists : Member, Former Board Member
Media Appearances (1)
An Interview With Journalist Elizabeth Aguilera
Zocalo Public Square online
2023-04-23
Elizabeth Aguilera is an independent journalist who recently joined Zócalo Public Square as an editor-at-large. Previously, she was a staff writer at CalMatters and reported for the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Denver Post. Before joining the panel for “What Is a Good Tourism Job Now?,” the inaugural program in “What Is a Good Job Now?,” a new series supported by The James Irvine Foundation, Aguilera chatted with us in the green room about being a tourist, her last great read, and what she missed most about Denver.
Articles (3)
Screening for adverse childhood experiences is increasing, but are patients getting treatment?
CalMatters2022 Medi-Cal doctors are screening more patients for adverse childhood experiences, but they aren’t required to report whether those patients receive therapy or other services they may need. Yet getting that helps is key to preventing chronic health or mental health conditions later in life, research finds.
More people will be eligible for health insurance through Covered California
CalMatters2022 Under previous rules, family members of those who had insurance through an employer were not eligible for Covered California. In some cases, those employer plans cover the employee but are expensive for spouses and children, leaving families with few options.
Schools scramble to find teachers as California expands transitional kindergarten
CalMatters2022 This school year the California transitional kindergarten program began expanding to eventually include all 4-year-olds. But amidst a teacher shortage, some school districts had to move teachers already on staff or lure staff away from preschool programs.
Social