Sandwich local, Sara Franco, also known as 'La Flor de Chihuahua' performs during St. Mary's Church's Mexican Independence and fundraising event on Sept. 15, 2024.
Maria Gardner Lara
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A young potential customer checks out items displayed during Plano's Hispanic Heritage Street Market on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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Attendees check out the various food vendors at St. Mary's Church fundraiser and Mexican Independence Day celebration held in DeKalb, IL on Sept. 15, 2024.
Maria Gardner Lara
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Food vendors sell traditional Mexican Food during St. Mary's Church in DeKalb fundraising and Mexican Independence Day celebration in DeKalb, IL on Sept. 15, 2024.
Maria Gardner Lara
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DeKalb, IL
Maria Gardner Lara
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DeKalb, IL.
Maria Gardner Lara
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DeKalb, IL.
Maria Gardner Lara
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Maria Reyna Caudillo assists in the Mexican Independence Day celebration a fundraising event for St. Mary's Church in DeKalb, IL on Sept. 15, 2024.
Maria Gardner Lara
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Martin Garcia Miranda, owner of DeKalb Fresh Market, and his family attend St. Mary's Church celebration of Mexican Independence Day and fundraising event in DeKalb, IL on Sept. 15, 2024.
Maria Gardner Lara
Over the weekend, celebrations throughout the country celebrated Mexican Independence Day and commemorated other independence commemorations for Central American countries as part of the launch of Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month ends on October 15.
A Chicago native, Maria earned a Master's Degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield . Maria is a 2022-2023 corps member for Report for America. RFA is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization.
Un residente nativo de Chicago, Maria se graduó de University of Illinois Springfield con una licenciatura superior en periodismo de gobierno.