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Growing up in Gunnison while staying connected to Latiné, indigenous heritage

Marisela Ballesteros Celestino

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we continue our interview series with Western Slope Latinés. Today, we hear from Marisela Ballesteros Celestino. She is a first generation Latiné and Cora Indian. She's also the assistant director for Project Hope, Gunnison's resource center for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human traffiking. Ballesteros Celestino speaks to KVNF's Laura Palmisano about growing up in the Gunnison Valley, staying connected to her indigenous heritage, and her work as an advocate.

Copyright 2023 KVNF - Mountain Grown Community Radio. To see more, visit KVNF - Mountain Grown Community Radio.

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.