About the authors

Juliana Barbassa is a student at the University of California, Berkeley.

Ana Campoy is a second-year student at the Graduate School of Journalism. Read her story about ballet in Cuba.

Mimi Chakarova graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in Photography and is currently teaching at the Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley. View her photos of Cuba in the photo gallery.

Lydia Chavez started out as a reporter for the Albuquerque Tribune, later moving on to Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times (El Salvador and South American bureau chief). In 1998, Professor Chavez added a book, "The Color Bind: California's Battle Against Affirmative Action," to her other writings (OpEd pieces for the New York Times and the San Francisco Examiner as well as articles for the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine) that have been completed since her arrival at UC Berkeley. As faculty liaison with the Center for Latin American Studies at Berkeley, Professor Chavez teaches reporting courses that focus on Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. / Mexican border. She holds a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from U.C. Berkeley and a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism.

John Cote graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in English literature. He has contributed articles to the East Bay Express, Boulder Weekly and SF Gate. He is currently working on his master's in journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. For those about to rock, he salutes you.

Julian Foley is a student at the Graduate School of Journalism and is working on a concurrent degree with Latin American Studies.

Angel Gonzalez Perez is from Caracas, Venezuela, and graduated from the Institut Francais de Presse, Universite de Paris II. He is currently pursuing a joint master's degree in Journalism and Latin American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Read his story about the life of his uncle, Carmelo Gonzalez del Castillo.

Megan Lardner is a joint Journalism/Latin American Studies major. She grew up in San Francisco and has lived and worked in Spain, Mexico, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Read her story about the Spanish in Cuba.

Ezequiel Minaya is a student at the Graduate School of Journalism.

Daniela Mohor is a student at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Her interest includes reporting on Latin America, social issues, and politics. Read her story about Cuba's tobacco industry.

Archana Pyati is a 2001 graduate of the journalism program. She has reported for The Dayton (OH) Daily News, The Oregonian in Portland, OR, and for newspapers in Berkeley and Oakland.

Alicia Roca graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2000. She earned a BA in Communication Studies. She is currently working towards her master's in print journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. She wrote a story about the changing lives of women in Cuba today.

Olga Rodríguez is a second-year student at the Graduate School of Journalism.

Bret Sigler graduated from the University of Oregon and is currently working toward concurrent master's degrees in Journalism and Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley. He wrote a story about religion in modern-day Cuba.

Jennifer Ward is a 2001 graduate of the School of Journalism.

Annelise Wunderlich is a graduate student at UC Berkeley in Journalism and Latin American Studies. Read her story about hip-hop in Cuba.