Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
In the opening weeks of the new year, our minds naturally turn toward renewal. And it’s with that sense of reinvigoration that we welcome spring semester fellows to The Texas Tribune.
These students are eager to put what they’ve learned in the classroom into practice.
“I want to work at the Texas Tribune because I know that access is magical,” events fellow and University of Texas at Austin student Erin Cobb said in her application. “I believe the work this organization does to increase Texan access to trustworthy information is fundamental to civic engagement, community, and a larger understanding of the world around us. I want to make use of both areas of my studies, journalism and nonprofits/social entrepreneurship, to contribute to a team that is committed to access to information and to enriching the greater Austin community.”
Advertisement
Indeed, fellows play key roles in the most important work of the Tribune, helping with The Texas Tribune Festival and covering the biennial legislative sessions, elections, education and the environment, among other important topics. See recent work by Texas Tribune fellows here.
But as much as they get from the experience of working in or in support of our newsroom, we get so much more.
“Our fellows are doing real, impactful journalism from day one, said Matthew Watkins, managing editor of news and politics. “They’re vital to our mission. They help us serve our audience. And they get great practical experience that helps launch their careers.”
Motivated to serve their communities, fellows bring energy and enthusiasm, as well as fresh perspectives.
“As a fellow, I hope to combine all I have grown to know and love about Texas with a publication dedicated to it,” design fellow Amber Huchton, a Houston native, said in her application.
Advertisement
“Being a Black, Muslim woman and the daughter of two immigrant parents, I witnessed firsthand how the stories of my communities were ignored and how the issues of many marginalized groups weren’t highlighted in the media,” reporting fellow Ikram Mohamed, who is majoring in sociology and journalism at UT-Austin, said in her application. “That’s what inspired me to pursue journalism.”
Generous donors have bolstered the Tribune’s fellowship program, establishing named fellowships such as the Dallas Press Club Foundation Fellowships, as well as Martin Taylor’s underwriting of the Tribune HBCU Fellowships. We are grateful for their support.
Our paid fellowships, which are part-time during the spring and fall semesters and are full-time during the summer, are available in the following positions: data visuals, design, engagement, engineering, events, marketing and communications, photography, product and reporting.
The Tribune is happy to foster these young professionals and early-career journalists. Learn more about Tribune fellowships here, and please keep an eye out for the work of the amazing fellows listed below.
Spring 2024 Fellows
Nina Banks, a reporting fellow based in Arlington, is studying communications at Tarrant County College. She is managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Collegian, and hosts the staff’s podcast, The First Draft. When she isn’t hunched over her laptop, you can find her sipping on boba tea.
Advertisement
Erin Cobb is an events fellow. A junior at the University of Texas at Austin, she is studying journalism and nonprofits. Erin previously worked as a grants coordinator intern for Students Expanding American Literacy, an Austin-based literacy nonprofit. Her hometown is Burleson in North Texas, and she likes to spend her free time reading, taking hot yoga classes and finding new spots to grab coffee.
Photography fellow Maria Crane has a dual degree in photojournalism and political science and is working toward a master’s in journalism at the University of North Texas. She was born and raised in Arlington but will be in Austin for her fellowship. Maria worked at her college paper, the North Texas Daily, as a senior photographer and the visuals editor at Hatch Visuals, a student-run photo agency, as managing editor. She previously was an intern at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Maria spends her free time with her one-eyed cat Ringo and training for triathlons.
Sejal Govindarao is a Washington-based reporting fellow and a senior at George Washington University. She reports for the investigations desk of her college paper, the Hatchet, and is the co-founder and president of the campus’ first Asian American Journalists Association student chapter. Previously, Sejal interned for NBC, ABC, CNN and Politico’s California team, where she covered the state’s congressional delegation. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, she’s a big fan of the Warriors and the Giants.
From left: Nina Banks, Erin Cobb, Maria Crane and Sejal Govindarao.
Advertisement
Design fellow Amber Huchton attends the University of Texas at Austin and is pursuing a theatre technology and design degree. She previously interned for Bauer Entertainment Marketing as a marketing intern and for the UT Athletics Department, where she focused on motion graphics.
Misbah Imtiaz is an engineering fellow and a senior computer science major at the University of Texas at Austin. Misbah previously interned at Atlassian, developing user interface features for a data portal application, and at Nordstrom, IBM and Paycom. Misbah will be based out of Austin for the fellowship but was born and raised in Denton. He enjoys watching horror movies and playing chess, basketball and soccer.
Fiza Kuzhiyil is an audience fellow and a senior majoring in journalism and government at the University of Texas at Austin. Fiza has interned at the Washington Post, Texas Monthly and the Austin American-Statesman and served as managing editor of her campus paper, The Daily Texan. Fiza was born in India, grew up in Pennsylvania but loves calling Texas home.
Advertisement
Sydney Lewis is a product fellow based in Columbia, Missouri. Previously, she interned at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She’s in her final semester studying journalism at the University of Missouri, where she was the general manager of Mizzou Student Media and founder of the campus student chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. Sydney is from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and loves women’s sports and national parks.
From left: Amber Huchton, Misbah Imtiaz, Fiza Kuzhiyil and Sydney Lewis.
Maiara Lohmann is a marketing and communications fellow. She is a journalism and strategic communications student at Northwestern University’s campus in Qatar, where she has reported for the campus paper, The Daily Q. Previously, she was a reporting intern at The Brazilian Report, covering Brazilian politics and economics, and a digital marketing intern for the soccer team, Sport Club Internacional. Maiara was born and raised in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese.
Advertisement
Xandria Mcgilber is an events fellow and a senior at Prairie View A&M University, majoring in political science and minoring in legal studies. She previously was a U.S. House of Representatives intern for Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and for District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton. Xandria has earned recognition from the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference, a national political science honor society.
Reporting fellow Ikram Mohamed is a fourth-year journalism and sociology student pursuing a human rights and social justice certificate at the University of Texas at Austin, where she worked at her campus newspaper, The Daily Texan. A Pflugerville native, Ikram previously interned with the Austin Chronicle, Texas Observer and Texas Monthly. She speaks fluent Somali and Swahili.
Andrew Park is a data visuals fellow and a senior at Columbia University, where he is studying computer science and math. Andrew is a former managing editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator, the school’s independent student newspaper, and has previously interned at the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Andrew spends his free time listening to music, browsing sports statistics websites and seeking restaurant hidden gems.
From left: Maiara Lohmann, Xandria Mcgilber, Ikram Mohamed and Andrew Park.
Advertisement
Maria Probert Hermosillo is an audience fellow and an international student from Monterrey, Mexico, studying journalism and economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Maria has worked for the campus paper, The Daily Texan, as an audio producer and director of Texan en Español, the Spanish-language translation department. She previously was an intern for Community Impact and covered central Austin. Maria enjoys spending her free time with friends and family, reading and binge-watching historical fiction shows.
Madaleine Rubin is a reporting fellow and a senior at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Madaleine previously interned at Northwestern Magazine and the Medill Investigative Lab. Her work has appeared in The Palm Beach Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and ProPublica. Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, she will graduate with journalism and political science degrees in June.
Jasmine Williams is a marketing and communications fellow. She is majoring in communications, with a focus on public relations and advertising, and minoring in digital marketing at St. Edward’s University. An NCAA Division II volleyball player, Jasmine is the campus Black Student Alliance president and has served as its social media coordinator.
From left: Maria Probert Hermosillo, Madaleine Rubin and Jasmine Williams.
Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford appeared on the GBag Nation show on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) to discuss his recent offensive surge, how he’s adjusting to the big leagues, and what kind of weight he can throw around in the weight room.
Here are some of the highlights, edited lightly for clarity.
What has been the biggest difference since you came off the IL? How eye-opening is it to get accustomed to major league pitching?
Wyatt Langford: I think a lot of it was just comfort, getting comfortable playing up here and getting accustomed to the pitching. Everyone throws hard nowadays, and they all know where to put it too.
Advertisement
Rangers
Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.
You’ve been very unlucky dealing with bad calls in the strike zone, how do you deal with that frustration?
Langford: It has been a little frustrating because of how frequently it has happened, but I mean it’s part of the game. I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well.
Advertisement
What are the biggest differences between playing college baseball and playing in the major leagues?
Langford: I’d say the biggest difference is just playing every single day. College, you’re playing three to five days a week at the most. You’re just going about it every single day and getting your body ready to play every day.
Watch: Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford blasts off with first career grand slam
How nice is it having veterans like Marcus Semien and Corey Seager and being able to see their example of dedication?
Langford: It’s been great. There’s so many guys on this team that have a lot of experience, a lot of success playing this game. Being able to talk to them and be around them helps a lot.
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten since getting to the big leagues?
Advertisement
Langford: I wouldn’t say there’s really any best advice I’ve gotten. I’d say just in general, just make sure you be yourself and do what you need to do to get ready. You don’t don’t need to copy what other guys do to get ready. [Corey Seager] does his thing, [Marcus Semien] does his thing. You just got to figure out what works for you.
You’re very impressive physically, what’s the most impressive thing you could do in a weight room? Back squat?
Langford: I haven’t back squatted since my freshman year of college, so probably deadlift. The most I’ve ever done is 715 pounds over winter break at Florida. I was back home during my sophomore year.
Texas Rangers’ late-inning offensive woes persist, bats go quietly again vs. Brewers
Dane Dunning shifting to Texas Rangers bullpen with Max Scherzer back in rotation
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.
Bridget Townsend was just getting her start in life as a young woman in the small Texas town of Bandera when Ramiro Gonzales raped and killed her. Her mom says she was ‘a beautiful person.’
Bridget Townsend was planning for the future. The Texas 18-year-old was working full-time at a resort and eagerly waiting to hear back about an application to get into nursing school.
But on Jan. 14, 2001, a man named Ramiro Gonzales stole all that away and all the other moments and milestones that make up a life when he kidnapped, raped and murdered Bridget.
“She was a beautiful person who loved life and loved people,” her mother, Patricia Townsend, told USA TODAY on Saturday. “Every time she was with somebody she hadn’t seen in a while, she had to hug ’em … She didn’t deserve what she got.”
Advertisement
Now more than 23 years later, Gonzales is set to be executed for the crime in Texas on Wednesday, which would have been Bridget’s 41st birthday. Patricia Townsend said the execution will be a “joyful occasion” for her and her family, who have been waiting so long for justice.
As Gonzales’ execution approaches, USA TODAY is looking back at the tragic crime, who Bridget was what her family lost.
A terrible night
Bridget was at her boyfriend Joe Leal’s house that terrible night.
Leal dealt drugs and Gonzales went to his house to steal cocaine, finding Bridget there alone.
After Gonzales came in and stole some cash, Bridget started to call Leal. That’s when Gonzales overpowered her, tied her up and drove her to his grandfather’s ranch, where he raped and shot her before dumping her body in a field, according to court records.
Advertisement
When Leal arrived home later that night, Bridget’s truck, purse and keys were their usual spots but he couldn’t find her anywhere and called police.
For nearly two years, no one but Gonzales knew what happened to Bridget. One day while he was serving a life sentence for the rape and kidnapping of another woman, Gonzales decided to confess to killing Bridget, leading authorities to her remains in a field in Bandera, a small town 40 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Gonzales was convicted of Bridget’s murder in September 2006.
Advertisement
‘Thank God I got to see her’
Patricia Townsend last saw her daughter the same day she was killed. Townsend was working at a video store and had asked Bridget to drop by and return a video.
“Thank God I got to see her. And I told her I loved her. And I hugged her,” Townsend said.
Bridget left soon after, saying she was going to bed because she had to drive to work in the morning. Townsend told her daughter goodbye, reminding her that she loved her.
After Townsend closed the video store and went home for the night, she said she couldn’t shake the feeling that she heard Bridget call out to her: “Mom.” She tried to call Bridget but there was no answer.
“And I said, ‘Well don’t fret, Pat.’ She said she had to get up early and go to work so she’s probably sleeping,” Townsend said. “But I should have known better because always slept with her phone right next to her in case somebody called her.”
Advertisement
She thought about going to check on Bridget but talked herself out of it.
“And to this day I regret not going out there,” she said. “Maybe I would have been there in time to stop him.”
Patricia Townsend gets worst news of her life
For nearly two years, Townsend spent most of her time putting up flyers about her daughter and chasing leads.
Until one night a Bandera County sheriff asked her to come to the station. Although she had been holding out hope that her daughter was alive despite the odds, she instead got the worst news of her life.
Advertisement
The sheriff told Townsend that Gonzales had confessed to Bridget’s murder, had led police to her body and that he had some things he was hoping she might be able to identify.
“And I walked on down the street. I couldn’t hear it anymore,” she said.
Towsend says she didn’t even have a body to bury on Oct. 16, 2002 because Gonzales “wanted to see her body decay.”
Townsend rejected arguments from Gonzales that a childhood filled with trauma and neglect helped lead him down a path that ended in her daughter’s murder.
Advertisement
“He doesn’t deserve mercy,” she said. “And his childhood should not have anything to do with it. I know a lot of people that had a hard childhood … He made his choice.”
It’s Gonzales’ own fault that he no longer has a life.
“He could be going to school or have a wife and kids,” she said. “I don’t feel sorry for him at all and I don’t want other people to feel sorry for him. Some people I feel sorry for are his grandma and grandpa that raised him.”
What has also brought comfort to Townsend amid the grief is that Gonzales is set to leave the world the same day Bridget came into it.
“When they told me June 26, I started crying, crying and crying,” she said. “That’s her birthday.”
Advertisement
Instead of celebrating her daughter’s 41st birthday, she’ll drive four hours from her home in San Antonio to the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and watch Gonzales die.
Silvia Hernandez, with her hair pulled back into a long ponytail, is visible from the kitchen only when she comes to the metal-framed pass, where the server grabs plated dishes to run to customers. Her glasses are precariously balanced on the lower bridge of her nose, but she snaps them back into place as she turns to attend to the cooking at her restaurant, Taqueria Gael, in Andrews.
Crossing north five years ago was the easy part of her life’s journey, Hernandez says. Growing up in El Salto, a small, quiet town in the northern Mexican state of Durango, she worked long hours hawking street food and cooking in her parents’ restaurant. She opened her own business, a hot dog cart, as a teenager, and got married at sixteen to a husband who eventually became abusive, she says. Moving to Texas was, Hernandez believed, her way out. Once she arrived in the Permian Basin town of Andrews, she began to work at local food trucks and would feed fellow food truck employees home-cooked meals of sopa de fideo, chicken, and caldo.
One Christmas, she brought the workers a holiday meal of lengua, fries, and soup. It wasn’t much, but the six young men who had no family to spend Christmas with were delighted and thankful. “It’s one of my favorite memories,” Hernandez says. So it’s no surprise that when Hernandez visited Mexico for fifteen days, the workers in Andrews messaged and called her, pleading with her to return. To their relief, she did. Then, a year ago, she opened Taqueria Gael.
Until my recent trip, my experience with tacos in West Texas had been disappointing at best. Tex-Mex in general, and the burrito in particular, was where restaurants in the area shone—that is, until my visit to Taqueria Gael, a bastion of Mexican home cooking that stands alongside the best of Texas’s Mexican restaurants.
Advertisement
The same goes for the previous business that was located inside the yellow building that houses now Taqueria Gael, near the Andrews Highway. It was called La Morena and was owned by famed curmudgeon Greg Revelez. Back in 2020, the Tex-Mex joint was more of a community hub than a good restaurant. Not that it was bad—the Kitchen Sink Burrito, a smothered package of carnitas, refried beans, fries, and pearls of yellow rice topped with melted cheese and smothered in spicy brown gravy,was one of my favorite dishes of that year. Otherwise, the food was, with all due respect, forgettable. In other words, I didn’t expect such exciting and soothing comida casera (home cooking) in the oil patch town about 45 minutes north of Odessa, much less the matron behind the taqueria.
Taqueria Gael is a symbol of Hernandez’s resilience. Through her food, Hernandez shares with customers the traditions and craft passed down through the generations of women before her as well as through a life of extreme hardships.
Exterior of Taqueria Gael in Andrews.Photograph by José R. Ralat
Hernandez’s grandmother, Teresa, was a single mother of twelve children. To support her family, the matriarch, who could neither read nor write, sold menudo and other dishes she learned from her elders and passed on to her children and grandchildren. At twelve years old, Hernandez’s mother, Modesta, moved from Durango to Mexico City to work in a hospital. About a decade later, she returned to El Salto to work in Restaurante Anita. It was at the restaurant that she met her future husband. The two were immediately inseparable and married in eight days. To help provide for the growing household, Modesta opened a small restaurant, Comedor Valeria, in the family’s living room. She sold carnitas, chicharrones, gorditas, and, of course, the clan’s specialty, menudo.
Hernandez joined the family business as a teenager when she opened a hot dog cart, which she later expanded to sell carnitas. Soon after, her troubles with her husband started. Hernandez hadn’t known the kind of man he would become: a womanizing and abusive drug addict and alcoholic, as she describes him. She dealt with it as best she could, through work. “I promised myself that my children would never know cold or poverty,” Hernandez says.
Their first child, daughter Valeria, was diagnosed with epilepsy at three months old. To pay for Valeria’s treatment, Hernandez added tamales and buñelos to her street cart’s menu. Her daughter’s epilepsy disappeared at the age of four. Four years after that, Hernandez says her husband raped and impregnated her. She gave birth to a boy, Adrian. “My son is the product of abuse, but he is a blessing. He’s my baby,” Hernandez says with joy and pride in her voice. The young man is now studying information engineering, a field that blends computer science with math. “He is a man in every sense of the word. He is responsible. He is a man of his word. He isn’t lazy, nor does he drink or smoke,” Hernandez says.
In April 1998, Hernandez’s father passed away. At this time, violence was at a disastrously high level in Mexico. Her brother was kidnapped and eventually released. On another day, her husband said he was going to work and never returned. “I was left alone to raise my kids and work harder,” she says. Hernandez continued to add dishes to her cart’s menu. She did whatever she needed to do to provide for her family. She was also once more pregnant. To her anguish, the baby was stillborn.
Advertisement
As soon as she could, Hernandez began the paperwork for a visa to come to the United States. She knew however hard she worked in Mexico, it wouldn’t be enough to give her children the educations and futures she dreamed they deserved. The only option was to find work north of the Rio Grande. Finally, five years ago, she was able to settle in Andrews, where she eventually opened Taqueria Gael, named after her supportive, caring partner, whom she met while working at various food trucks in Andrews. Love and the gratitude for a better life are evident in every dish.
The tacos she serves are all tacos de guisado wrapped in soft, nixtamalized-corn tortillas that are made in-house. The green picadillo, stewed with tiny potato cubes, translucent chopped onion, and invisible but fiery chiles, was a delight. The asado verde—rough-chopped chicken blanketed in a dark green salsa—was even better and hotter. The asado rojo, plump with pork obscured by an inky red sauce, left me silent. My eyes closed, and I smiled. The barbacoa was a dark bramble peeking out from below freshly grated queso blanco. For the quesadilla, queso blanco is enveloped in a corn tortilla and cooked on the flattop until the cheese melts into a milky, stretchy consistency. It only took one bite for me to feel at home.
The pozole—deep red, almost clay-colored—was a bowl of guajillo chile–punctuated stew bobbing with tender, juicy bits of pork chop. It was a hot day when I visited Taqueria Gael, but as I recalled the voices of many women in my life, I remembered hot days are made for hot food. The small, round, Nutella-filled doughnuts, glazed and shiny in the midday sun coming through one of the restaurant’s windows, were so good. I wanted to eat them all lest I offend Hernandez, who brought them to the table herself. Alas, the stop at Taqueria Gael was one of several I had planned en route to the Panhandle. Otherwise, I would’ve lingered, asked for coffee to wash down the dessert, and likely consumed the whole plate of doughnuts.
The worst of Hernandez’s life is behind her. She has made peace with the past and how it has formed her, thanks to her children and her partner. She welcomes every customer like she’s welcoming her own children to eat. As trite as that sounds, the proof is in the amazing pozole. Eating it, I felt like I belonged in Taqueria Gael, like Hernandez was happy to see me enjoy her food. Hernandez expresses it better: “I have been able to overcome obstacles with food. Everything I cook, everything I do, I do with all my heart and with love.”