AAJA Portland and SPJ Oregon are excited to announce that Tiffany Marquez Escobar, a University of Portland senior, will be the 2025 Emerging Northwest Journalists intern. She is the diversity, equity and inclusion editor at the university’s student newspaper, The Beacon.

Marquez Escobar will work for 10 weeks this summer as a newsroom intern with Lee Enterprises at the Albany Democrat-Herald and the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Get to know her through this Q&A.

What drew you to journalism?
Junior year, I began to really consider what I wanted for my future. To be honest, I was lost. But the one thing I knew for sure was that I loved the work I was doing at The Beacon. Getting to tell stories and connect with the UP community in such a unique way was a huge privilege  ⎯ one that made me feel fulfilled. Even when the work got tough or overwhelming, I couldn’t picture my life without journalism.

How and why did you get involved with The Beacon?
The summer before my freshman year, I was browsing the UP website when I came across a page about The Beacon. I had no prior experience in journalism and had no intention of being a journalist, yet, something urged me to apply. I even took the initiative to send an interest email in hopes that I could get connected with The Beacon. A few months later, I was one of two freshmen hired on staff.

Why did you apply for the AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists internship?
I had heard about this program through my advisor at The Beacon. What stood out to me was the mission to uplift BIPOC journalists. It’s organizations like AAJA that play a key role in bringing more diversity into newsrooms. Even when I didn’t get an interview the first time I applied, I tried again, with even more determination.

What do you hope to take away from this internship?
I hope to gain genuine connections with the Corvallis and Albany communities. As I continue onto being a professional journalist, I want to always remember why I want to do this job in the first place. Leaving UP and going onto new communities is going to be scary, but also exciting. I’m taking this internship as an opportunity to practice making meaningful connections in the real world.

What’s your dream journalism job?
My dream is to be a political journalist. Whenever I see or hear about the work these journalists do in places like Washington, D.C., or even abroad, I envision myself being a part of that someday. 

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The AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists Internship was established in 2019 to provide opportunities for members of racial and ethnic minority groups that are underrepresented in Pacific Northwest newsrooms.

Our interns have worked at OPB: Oregon Public Broadcasting, The Oregonian/OregonLive, KGW TV, The Bulletin in Bend and the Statesman Journal in Salem.

Internship alumni: 

• Alexander Banks, reporter, Statesman Journal 
• Jamie Diep, news director, KBBI AM 890
• Donald Orr, announcer/producer, OPB
• Matthew Park, assignment editor/content coordinator, KGW
• Chiara Profenna, Advance Local Media reporting fellow and Peak Northwest co-host, The Oregonian/OregonLive 
• Sukhjot Sal, digital producer, OPB
• Celina Tebor, news editor, CNN

Support for the AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists Internship has been provided by Oregon Community Foundation and Inatai Foundation.

Donate to the AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists Internship to support newsroom diversity.