Donned in a simple sky-blue shirt, wire-rim glasses, natural make-up and jeans, Jessica Orozco looks like a young America Ferrera. Her brown eyes and wide smile are inviting and have aided her in the numerous interviews and connections she has built throughout her three years at the Springfield News Sun in Springfield, Ohio.
Prior to becoming one of only two full-time journalists covering Springfield’s government, crime, and health beats, Orozco, 25, attended Ohio State University, graduating in the spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
The West Carrollton native had arrived in April of 2023 and had the opportunity to build her career during a very controversial point of Springfield’s history--when the city was in the national spotlight over the immigration debate. After Donald Trump and J.D. Vance spread scurrilous rumors that Springfield's Haitians were eating neighborhood pets, the job was never the same. This was a demanding time for her, with burnout constantly nipping at her heels. Orozco eventually took some time off but joked that it was “only a week off.” The job's reporting demands have been non-stop since. It was exciting and exhausting, she recalled.
Growing up in a family that was very ‘anti-therapy’ and just beginning her journalism career, she didn’t want to accept that burnout was a reality.
“I clawed my way out of it,” Orozco said while giving advice to journalism students at Wittenberg University.
Now, she says it’s “better to prevent the burnout than do it and try to recover.” Orozco now goes to therapy and tries to only work weekdays, though that’s not always possible in her line of work. She now works closely with editor Ashley Bethard, who keeps Orozco from bringing her work home with her.
“Now, I have some support, which is nice.”
Being a young Hispanic woman, she has encountered discrimination throughout her career. A few readers have discounted her because of her age and gender, or believe she's biased. Some mornings, emails from readers are hard to read, even hate-fulled. But Orozco remains professional--and those in the know return her calls. She says she tries to treat the people she interviews with respect and fairness.
“I had to work hard to make people trust me.”
Now that temporary protested status (TPS) has ended and Haitians are being outfitted with ankle monitors and being deported, the stories reflect the fear and heartbreak of a community trying to live through uncertainty. This, however, is not an easy feat. She persists because her stories have changed some people's minds. “I feel very driven to tell this story right. I need to. I need to give my best.”
