Zari Tarazona

School: Klein College of Media and Communication
Degree: BA, journalism, 2019
Hometown: Oxford, Pennsylvania

Growing up an hour outside Philadelphia, Zari Tarazona, KLN ’19, saw the city as a place of personality, fun and diversity. So she didn’t have to think twice about attending college there. Now not only does she still live in the City of Brotherly Love, but since August 2023 she has worked as a content writer for its Office of Innovation and Technology. Here, she contributes to the production of digital information about departments, programs and services for the community she’s long appreciated.

“My experience at Temple helped me on the path to success by helping me believe in myself and gain more confidence. It also gave me the opportunity to meet people who were really important in my professional and personal journey.”

Click the audio above to hear what she has to say.

Zari Tarazona poses for a photo in Philadelphia.

Photography by Joseph V. Labolito

Getting unexpected scoop

It’s a natural move for Tarazona, who as a journalism major in the Klein College of Media and Communication got a chance to pursue the right lead when she joined the opinion freelancers at The Temple News. Her first assignment in fall 2015 yielded more than she anticipated when she conducted the first formal interview of her fledgling career about sexual assault prevention. She met her interviewee—Steven Ritchie, CLA ’15—in Founder’s Garden to ask him about the university chapter he founded of the organization One in Four. He is now her fiancé, and their wedding is planned for May 2024.

More stories and three journalism internships followed. By the end of her junior year, with encouragement from close friends, family and Ritchie, Tarazona applied for the paper’s assistant features editor position. She gained leadership experience co-managing a staff—and discovered she was good at it. “I learned how to work with different staff members with different focuses, run meetings and communicate my suggestions to writers and editors. I also became a better writer in terms of identifying stories’ structure and focus as an editor. I made some amazing friends and felt part of a community at Temple.”

Unburying the lead

Tarazona also worked with Associate Professor of Practice Jillian Bauer-Reese, co-creator of Kensington Voice, which was then a digital community monthly. As graduation approached in 2019, Tarazona wanted to engage in community journalism and stay in Philadelphia, but she was feeling insecure about her chances. She got support from John DiCarlo, faculty advisor for The Temple News. “He mentored me when I was feeling anxious by helping connect me with people and just letting me share my thought process.”

The confidence boost worked; the November after graduation she became an editor at Kensington Voice and within a year editor in chief.

There, Tarazona was known for her tenacity, determination and ability to connect with others. Her goal was to rebuild trust between the news media and local residents through community-oriented journalism.

“I learned how to work with different staff members with different focuses, run meetings and communicate my suggestions to writers and editors. I also became a better writer in terms of identifying stories’ structure and focus as an editor. I made some amazing friends and felt part of a community at Temple.”

–Zari Tarazona
Content writer

Knowing her roots

In her current role she’s still able to provide residents with important information they need from the city. While this is not journalism per se, all the skills she learned at Temple and the connections she made helped her professionally and personally.

And she still appreciates the location. Tarazona lives only 10 minutes from campus in the Fairmount neighborhood she moved to when she got the job at Kensington Voice. Her favorite spots nearby include the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Philadelphia Museum of Art. “I still love the area, especially all the different restaurants. I love the little communities within the neighborhoods. It’s so much fun to explore the city.”