Janessa Baza-Lazalde

Head of Journalism

Hello, my name is Janessa Baza-Lazalde and I am very excited to start my journey with Stories Untold US. I was born in Palm Springs, California but spent most of my childhood in Mexicali, Mexico and the Imperial County. Currently, I've been living in the Coachella Valley for almost 4 years already. I started my journalism journey my junior year of high school with the position of news anchor. Being a part of that team has made me find my passion and love for journalism. Throughout these couple of months there have been a lot of changes that I’ve been through that have taught me different things. Towards the beginning of this year I thought change was bad and was afraid of it. Learning to accept and adapt to changes is an important learning experience that has helped me tremendously. The most precious thing to me is my family, friends, helping others and being able to be a voice for my community. My favorite hobbies include playing softball, cheerleading, meditating and reading. My favorite food is tamales or any Mexican food. I’m really looking forward to getting the opportunity to help people tell their stories and meet/create new bonds with amazing people.