Meet the three Tucson-loving journalists behind #ThisIsTucson

We’ve introduced you to countless Tucsonans — chefs, artists, zookeepers, nonprofit founders and so many community members who make this city all that it is. But have we ever formally introduced ourselves?

The answer is no, not really. But not for long.

If you’re new here or if you’ve been reading our stories from the start, hi. Welcome to #ThisIsTucson.

Our goal is to foster a community that knows and loves Tucson. We do that through thoughtful research, sharing with you all the fun things we find along the way through stories, newsletters and Instagram highlights.

We love Tucson. At the root of it all, we want to help you discover all the amazing things to do, eat and talk about in our favorite desert city — from the incredible people and organizations, the food we can’t stop thinking about and the events that keep us busy.

Let’s introduce ourselves.

✨ Elvia Verdugo, features reporter

Some kids dream of being an astronaut, a teacher or even a racecar driver.

But growing up, I knew I was destined to be one thing and one thing only: a journalist.

That dream has developed over the years, but the overall goal has remained the same — to be a storyteller and share community stories.

Fortunately, I found my community right here in Tucson — the place I grew up playing little league baseball at Rudy Garcia Park on the city’s south side, the place I grew up adjusting the antenna on my TV so I could watch Dan Marries on KOLD in the evenings, the place I grew up eating watermelon covered in Tajín in the summers — the place I call home.

Tucson remained my home while I went to college at the University of Arizona, where I double-majored in journalism and history. During my time at the UA, I worked for The Daily Wildcat student newspaper, became a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and earned an apprenticeship at the Arizona Daily Star.

I joined the #ThisIsTucson and Arizona Daily Star team as a features reporter during my last semester at the UA. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of writing about new businesses, sports, public safety, Tucson’s diverse food scene and more. But some of my favorite stories aren’t the super newsy ones. They’re the ones where I was able to connect and learn about the people and places that make our city one-of-a-kind.

Being able to share the stories of our community has been one of the greatest honors of my life. To those who have shared their stories with me and to those who have read the stories I’ve written, thank you. I’m excited to continue sharing community-driven stories for years to come.

Fun facts about me:

🌵 I graduated from the UA summa cum laude.

🌵 I have a pet bunny named Podrick after a character in Game of Thrones.

🌵 I’m a huge Star Wars fan.

🌵 I’m an horchata connoisseur.

🌵 I have over 300 makeup brushes.

✨ Jamie Donnelly, food reporter

Ever since I was little, food has been a big part of my family.

“What’s for dinner?” would be the first question my sisters and I would ask our dad when we got home from school. My dad, my favorite cook, would make dinner every night and we would sit around the dining table, laughing and talking about our days.

Heading down south to visit my hometown of Nogales always puts a smile on my face because it means I get to visit my best friend’s house, whose mother makes the best and spiciest birria and carnitas I have ever had.

Food brings my family together. Whether it was going to my grandma’s house for homemade pizza nights or enjoying my tata’s posole and New Mexican-style red chile during Christmas, food has always brought my loved ones closer.

Now I get to explore Tucson’s food scene and share my love of food with all of you!

For the past three years, I’ve been a journalist at the Arizona Daily Star where I get to do the thing I love the most: share people’s stories. Being able to travel all around town and talk to people about what they are most passionate about makes my heart so full. Highlighting these hardworking people and pointing readers in the direction of amazing food is truly a dream job!

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Fun facts about me:

🌵 A few of my favorite restaurants are Coop, Oh My Chicken, Mi Nidito, Noodies and La Chingada (can you tell I love chicken tenders lol).

🌵 I love to bake, especially cookies! My favorite I have ever made was a banana chocolate chip cookie — it tasted just like banana bread.

🌵 I’m addicted to coffee and I always need one to start my day. Espressoul and Barista del Barrio have some of my favorite drinks in town!

🌵 I have a huge vinyl collection because I love music. Wooden Tooth, Zia and Heroes & Villains are my go-to places for record shopping.

✨ Gloria Knott, editor

I’ve lived in Tucson my whole life — I have memories eating strawberry Eegee’s at a midtown park and frequenting the now-closed Molina's Midway and the east-side La Parrilla Suiza, where I quickly fell in love with refried beans and fresh flour tortillas. I went to Reid Park Zoo on school field trips. My summer camp took us to Skate Country once a week and I still remember lugging around my white skates with hot-pink laces. In middle school, I went to Pop Cycle with my best friend and I can still remember all the funky license plates hanging along the walls.

I wasn’t in love with Tucson then, but I am now.

I was an angsty teen — I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the desert, I thought the city was mostly lackluster except when the Pima County Fair came to town. I was very, very wrong.

Through the journalism internships I did at the University of Arizona — which basically forced me to discover more about Tucson, something I’m forever thankful for — it didn’t take long for me to realize how wonderful this city is and how much I had missed out on as a teen. The saguaro blooms, the murals clad on otherwise empty walls, the way the community comes together.

I am so grateful that I get to explore Tucson every day. I am so grateful that I get to highlight the magic of Tucson. And I am so grateful to the people who share their stories with me and to everyone who takes the time to read them.

Fun facts about me:

🌵 I realized I wanted to be a journalist when I was a junior in high school taking a yearbook class.

🌵 I love love love local art markets. I especially have very little willpower when it comes to makers who create funky statement earrings.

🌵 I have a giant sweet tooth. Frost, Ate Kei, Just Churros — I want it all. Ube Bae makes my favorite dessert in town: her ube Oreo Taiwanese snowflake crisps.

🌵 Every May, I keep a step ladder in my car because I never know when I’ll come across a saguaro bloom. (I’m 5’2” — I need the height boost if I want to get a photo of a blossom.)

💖 Keep in touch!

Whether you sign up for a newsletter or share one of our Facebook posts, thank you endlessly for your support. Here’s where you can find us:

🌵 We work HARD on our newsletters. I know, I know, we all get too many emails already. But here’s our (maybe biased) argument: if you’re someone longing to become more connected with Tucson, this is truly a good way to start. We have two weekly options: the Weekend Planner will send you a giant list of things to do every weekend and Eat+Drink will keep you up-to-date on all the foodie things we discover. Rewind is a monthly newsletter, letting you know of fun stories you may have missed (and don’t worry — they’re still relevant even if you’re reading them a month late). Rewind is also packed with fun community tidbits and exclusive interviews. Sign up for our newsletters here.

🌵 We’re on social media! You can find our stories on Facebook — but what we’re real proud of is our Instagram, where we post lots of things you may not find on our website.

🌵 Cruise our website — we have different sections to make it easy to find certain stories, including a whole section dedicated to our guides like a long list of where to get dessert in Tucson and everything you need to know about cycling here.

🌵 We have an app for iOS and Android, where we send push alerts every time we publish a new story (around once a day).

🌵 If you’re into our cutesy logo as much as we are, we sell equally as adorable merch. Find T-shirts, phone cases, hats and more here.

🌵 We try to table at least one community event every month. If you see us, say hi! We always have free stickers.

🌵 Lastly, we have no paywall on our website — all of our stories are free and accessible to everyone. That’s made possible partially because of advertisers, but also because of our members. Our membership program is pay-what-you-wish — you decide whatever you’d like to contribute! Read more about that here.

❣️ If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. More importantly, thank you for supporting #ThisIsTucson. If you ever have any questions, feel free to DM us on social media or email us at thisistucson@tucson.com. Thanks for being here! 💕