Adriana Cardona-Maguigad
Reporter, Curious City
Adriana is a former 2012 WBEZ Pritzker fellow and was part of the inaugural class of Northwestern University’s Social Justice News Nexus fellowship program. She worked on a 2015 award-winning audio project for WBEZ and NPR’s This American Life about unregulated drug rehab centers in Chicago drawing people from Puerto Rico. Her investigation was recognized with a Sigma Delta Chi Award with the Society of Professional Journalists, a 2016 National Edward R. Murrow Award and three Peter Lisagor Awards.
Prior to joining WBEZ’s education team, Adriana worked at Univision Chicago where she was honored with two Chicago/ Midwest Emmy Awards.
Adriana lived in Dubuque and Des Moines, Iowa for many years. She is originally from Medellin, Colombia and has been a Chicago resident since 2005.
Stories by Adriana Cardona-Maguigad
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How do you start a community garden in Chicago?
As Pilsen changes, volunteers strive to keep the community garden a space where longtime residents can find ease and wellbeing.
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Drawn by drums and incense, Pilsen residents are finding strength and joy through Aztec dance
Every Thursday, a group of Aztec dancers practices in Harrison Park. Through dance, they say they find community and harmony with nature.
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Scouring Chicago alleys for scrap metal is a tough way to earn a living
With trucks piled high with pipes and old refrigerators, scrap metal collectors help put discarded waste back into the supply chain.
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Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade is back. This year, it has a new theme.
For over a century, the Polish community has celebrated Polish unity at the annual parade. This year, they’re showing support for Ukraine.
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In the 1980s, activists fought to make public transportation more accessible
The battle in Chicago helped give momentum to a nationwide fight for legislation to protect people with disabilities.
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Chicago teens open up about race, stereotypes and dating
Five teens talk about whether stereotypes affect their relationships and how schools can help students from different backgrounds relate.
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Chicago’s Free Theater grappled with issues like civil rights and the Vietnam War
Between 1968 and 1974, the Free Theater made experimental theater available to all. What happened to its legacy?
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Burnt out and overwhelmed: Meet the quitters of the Great Resignation
From truck drivers to accountants, Chicago-area residents who quit their jobs during the pandemic say they have no regrets.
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Chicago’s sewage is helping the city track COVID-19
Health officials are checking the city’s wastewater to keep tabs on infections.
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Every time you poop, you’re helping Chicago health officials track COVID
People shed the virus through their nose and mouth and in their poop! The city is using sewage data to help keep tabs on transmission.
