About

Six members of the the staff of The Ranger and three advisers from the Department of Media Communications at San Antonio College in San Antonio, Texas, are traveling along the Gulf Coast from Texas to the Florida Panhandle to report on recovery efforts in the wake of the April 20 oil spill at Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling site of British Petroleum.

Laura Garcia

Laura Garcia, editor of The Ranger, recently returned from a summer internship with the Longview News-Journal courtesy of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. A 2004 participant in the Urban Journalism Workshop at San Antonio College, Garcia plans to transfer in a year to complete a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is a 2010 recipient of the W.B. Daugherty Scholarship and a 2010 San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists’ scholarship.

Zahra Farah

Zahra Farah, managing editor of The Ranger, works part-time as an editorial assistant at the San Antonio Express-News. The 2008 participant in the Urban Journalism Workshop at San Antonio College covered the business of the board of trustees of the Alamo Colleges for the summer and, in the fall, will return to covering San Antonio College’s governing organizations. The sophomore returned to the Urban Journalism Workshop this summer as a resident assistant.

Riley Stephens

Riley Stephens, news editor of The Ranger, will call on his background in science and interest in marine biology for this reporting trip. He has spent several weeks researching organizations and government agencies in preparation. Meanwhile, he assisted Farah in covering college district business during the summer and also served with her as a resident assistant for the teen participants in the 2010 Urban Journalism Workshop at San Antonio College.

D.A. James

D.A. James is a long-time member of The Ranger staff. The former Marine and Southern Pacific Railroad worker has served as a photographer, photo editor and, presently, web administrator for the college newspaper. This communications major concurrently attends Texas State University where he is working on his bachelor’s degree. In his free time, he dotes on his granddaughter and continues his photography, often at the same time. James is an excellent role model for his younger colleagues, teaching them  work ethics, patience and team work along with photojournalism.

Alison Wadley

Alison Wadley, staff photographer for The Ranger, served in the U.S. Army as a communication systems operator. The single mother of one balances raising her daughter with working on a degree in photojournalism. Perhaps because her time is so scarce, Wadley is a quick study and experiential learner, usually grasping technique after a single demonstration. Despite Summer 2 enrollment, an imminent move and childcare, Wadley worked to free up time for this reporting trip.

Julysa Sosa

Julysa Sosa, who grew up in a military family, revels in military trappings. The staff photographer for The Ranger is focused completely on her education and plans to earn a degree in photojournalism. She is adept at languages and hopes to add Italian to her repertoire — she speaks Spanish, a little French and is studying Arabic. Fortunately, Sosa can practice with Zahra Farah in the newsroom. Sosa loves horses so much that she is considering buying a horse instead of a car.

Irene Abrego

Irene Abrego, journalism instructor, serves as lead adviser to the staff of The Ranger. This is her second JSchool Travels project, having led a 2005 expedition to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Edmund Lo

Dr. Edmund Lo, a native of Hong Kong, earned his Ph.D. in photography from Ohio University and a master’s in photojournalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He has worked as a photojournalist in both the United States and Hong Kong. He joined the faculty of the Department of Media Communications in fall 2005. He is married and has two children. He and his wife Phoebe enjoy vegetable and fruit gardening.

Tricia Buchhorn

Tricia Buchhorn, Mac technician and adjunct instructor, teaches photography at San Antonio College and design at Texas State University. She earned an MFA in photography from the Academy of Art, San Francisco. She has taught at the Southwest School of Art and Craft and shot for The Dallas Morning News and Associated Press. Buchhorn served as an adviser to the first JSchool Travels project in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in December 2005. She frequently volunteers her photo skills to schools and organizations.