Cristina De Leon-Menjivar, Patch Staff

<b>Email</b>: cristina.deleon&#64;patch.com

<b>Hometown:</b> Bellflower, CA

<b>Birthday: </b>Sept. 14

Como periodista, me considero narradora de historias, una cuentista con la oportunidad fantástica de conocer a todo tipo de personas, y llevar sus historias al medio impreso para compartirlas con los demás. Bajo esta perspectiva, considero que mi trabajo es un gran privilegio, y estoy entusiasmada por contar a través de Patch las historias de las comunidades a mi alrededor.

Desde joven supe que mi destino era una carrera periodística.  De niña, con frecuencia creaba un boletín familiar para mis padres, y hasta agregaba mis propios anuncios de publicidad. Siempre he sentido pasión por contar historias y escribir, y naturalmente cuando asistí a UCLA, estudié literatura inglesa y trabajé en el Daily Bruin. En el Daily Bruin, periódico de la universidad,  creció mi amor por el periodismo y debo mi éxito a la experiencia que obtuve allí.

Hoy doy gracias porque puedo decir que durante los últimos seis años he tenido la fortuna de una carrera periodística. Esta carrera comenzó en el Napa Valley Register donde me desempeñé como reportera de la educación. Allí aprendí bastante acerca de mí misma y el periodismo. Y más importante aún, la experiencia me confirmó que había escogido la profesión correcta.

Ahora trabajo como editora de Lynwood Patch Latino. De veras disfruto mi trabajo y anticipo contar el mayor número de historias que me sea posible.

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As a journalist, I see myself as a storyteller, a storyteller who has the wonderful opportunity to meet people of all walks of life and to share their stories with others. Because of this perspective, I see my job as a great privilege, and through Patch I am eager to tell the stories of my community.

Since I was young, I knew I was destined for a career in journalism. As a young girl, I would often create family newsletters for my parents, complete with advertisements. Telling stories was always my passion. So, naturally, when I attended UCLA, I studied English literature and worked for The Daily Bruin. At The Daily Bruin, my love for journalism flourished, and I credit my success to the experience I gained there.

Now, I am grateful to say that for the past six years, I have been blessed with a career in journalism. This career began at the Napa Valley Register, where I worked as an education reporter. At the Register, I learned a lot about journalism and myself. More importantly, the experience told me I had made the right career choice.

I genuinely enjoy my work and look forward to telling as many stories as I can.

<i><b>Beliefs:</b> At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. </i>

<i>This disclosure is not a license for our editors to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will </i><i>force us to be ever </i><i>mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, our reader, ever think you see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.</i><br><br><b>Politics:</b><i> How would you describe your political beliefs? </i>

I don’t subscribe to a certain party’s philosophy. Rather, I vote for whoever I believe is just, fair and has the right approach toward solving problems that affect our society as a whole.<br><br> <b>Religion</b>: <i>How religious would you consider yourself? </i>

Although I grew up as a Catholic, I do not consider myself Catholic. I still hold Christian beliefs and values, but choose to instead worship and pray independently.<br> <b><br> Local Hot-Button Issues</b>: <i>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?</i>

I believe that consistently improving the state of our schools and students is one of the most important issues, not only in Lynwood but in any community.

<i>Where do you stand on each of these issues?</i>

I am supportive of any measures and/or decisions that help students take their education to the next level. I believe that by supporting education we can eradicate other issues in the community, such as gang involvement and low voter turnout.