Allyson Vergara covers social issues, diversity, equity and inclusion across Southern CA — mainly in the Inland Empire, where she is from — for the Southern California News Group. She hopes to tell stories that make way for underrepresented voices and communities to feel seen in their local news. She’s covered race, religion, local government, health and education news, arts and culture and more for outlets including the LA Times, NBC News, Angelus News, KCETLink, The Daily Pilot, America Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, The Tablet and Asian Journal. She earned her master’s degree from the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism in New York City, after attending Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She loves spending time with her family, her corgi, exploring new neighborhoods and a good game of Scrabble.