Eleven Major Wildfires Continue To Burn In California

Ben joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped the news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped teach hundreds of audio producers, many of whom work with him at KALW, today.

Hamiintamc! I am Maara'yam (Serrano), Kumeyaay, and white. I was born and raised in my ancestral territory that is now known as San Bernardino in Southern California. I am a recent graduate of Scripps College where I majored in Sociology and took many classes in Media Studies. I was first introduced to public radio, podcasting, and journalism in my first year of college when I worked for WERS 88.9 FM in Boston, MA. After transferring to Scripps, I found other academic studies like social justice, political economy, Indigenous history and resistance, and Indigenous language revitalization. Post grad I have decided to return my way back to the public radio and journalism world and I am most excited to cover stories about California Indigenous people, language revitalization, and Indigenous politics. I am grateful to now be hosted on the unceded ancestral territory of the Ohlone people in Yelamu (San Francisco). In my free time, I enjoy collecting records, reading Indigenous novels and books, going on walks with my Siberian Husky, and drinking way too much coffee. Hakup a'ai ami' pahi'kow tan hiiv!