Community

Firsthand experiences inspire Mesa County resident to work with fellow migrants, immigrants

KVNF - Mountain Grown Community Radio | By Laura Palmisano

Published October 13, 2023 at 6:06 PM MDT

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we'll hear the final interview in our series with Western Slope Latinés. Today, we hear from Nelly Garcia Olmos. She's the executive director of La Plaza in Palisade, an organization that supports migrant and immigrant communities in Mesa County. Garcia Olmos speaks to KVNF's Laura Palmisano about being a first generation Latiné in the United States, challenges she faced when learning to navigate life in a new country, and her work with La Plaza.

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Community Rocky Mountain Community Radio

Laura Palmisano

Laura joined KVNF in 2014. She was the news director for two years and now works as a freelance reporter covering Colorado's Western Slope. Before moving to Colorado, Laura worked as a reporter for Arizona Public Media, a public radio and television station in Tucson. She's also worked at public radio station KJZZ and public television station KAET Arizona PBS in Phoenix. Her work has aired on NPR, the BBC, Marketplace, Harvest Public Media, and on stations across the Rocky Mountain Community Radio network. Laura is an award-winning journalist with work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Broadcasters Association, and RTDNA. In 2015, she was a fellow for the Institute for Justice & Journalism. Her fellowship project, a three-part series on the Karen refugee community in Delta, Colorado, received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. Laura also has experience as a radio host, producer, writer, production assistant, videographer, and video editor. She graduated summa cum laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

See stories by Laura Palmisano