Laura Antunez

Laura is a Cuban-American journalist from Miami, FL who focuses on data driven work and story telling. She is passionate about pushing herself to always learn more, and has gained skills in not only video and photo editing software such as Adobe Premier and Photoshop, but programing languages as well such as Python and SQL. She has had her work published in the Florida International University student newspaper PantherNOW, South Florida Media Network, and the Miami Herald. 


Her favorite topics to cover are the environment, LGBT+ issues and women's rights. 

Noteable Articles

Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash
PantherNOW •

Miami Beach Pride is Canceled – Now What?

Different Florida International University students from all walks of life share their stories being part of the LGBTQA community in lieu of the cancellation of Miami-Beach pride. Isabelle Sobera is a lesbian female and her pronouns are she/her. She is a Public Relations and Communications major and a freshman. She recently turned 18 and wanted to commemorate her entrance into adulthood by attending her first-ever Pride parade at Miami Beach.
The Miami Herald •

Juan ‘Pepe’ Jose Gracia: A mechanic and a devoted son to his mom | Obituary

This story is part of an ongoing Miami Herald series chronicling the lives of South Florida COVID-19 victims. Juan “Pepe” Jose Gracia was a devoted son to Nilda La Rosa, 92, caring for her until he died from COVID-19 four days after his 66th birthday. Gracia was born in Havana on May 5, 1954. He immigrated to Miami with his grandmother and sister in early 1961, and his parents followed a few months later. His mother became a teacher while his father, Jose, worked as an electrician.
The Miami Herald •

Tomas Edmundo Lopez, 61: A singing custodian who played Santa for Christmas | Obituary

This story is part of an on-going Miami Herald series chronicling the lives of South Florida COVID-19 victims. Tomas Edmundo Lopez was so full of life that he’d sing and dance every day at his job as a custodian at The Mandelstam School. “He was much more than an employee,” said Rod Mandelstam, a founder of the school. “He was one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, an angel of a person.”
PantherNOW •

FIU Student Among Four Protesters Taken Into Custody By Riot Police They Were Sitting On The Sidewalk

Despite a peaceful protest, and an absence of any kind of violence towards the police, four individuals were arrested and charged with “unlawful assembly to commit breach of peace” after the Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday, June 6. One of those arrested, Isabel de la Huerta, was only sitting on the sidewalk when police in riot gear arrested them and put them in an armored van along with two other adults.
PantherNOW •

Nice Try, Zuckerberg: Why You Should Stay Away From Facebook Campus

After having spent years as one of the top social media companies in the world, Facebook met major backlash when it was discovered that they had illegally used millions of user profiles for information in order to influence the 2016 presidential elections. This year, they returned to their roots by creating an added section to their profiles meant just for college students called Facebook Campus.
SFMN •

Ban on evictions proves useful after soaring unemployment report

Tenants who have lost jobs or hours due to the novel coronavirus in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Orange counties say the suspension of police-enforced evictions, now in its second week, has reduced at least one of the stresses in their lives. The decision to halt evictions was among one of the first actions taken by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, three days after Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency.

Data Journalism Work

Filters & Sorting

What has the reach of COVID-19 looked like in different South Florida Counties?

Although there are more males than females within the 25-34 age group in Miami-Dade County, females have a higher likelihood of testing positive. This also applies to Palm Beach County where the population of that age range is also predominantly men. In Broward, the only county of the three with a larger proportion of women to men within that age range, saw higher amounts of men testing positive to COVID.
SFMN •

One of Florida’s worst plane crashes being revisited by local filmmaker

Air disasters in Florida are not rare. Since 1931, more than 300 crashes have been reported. However, the ones landing in the Florida Everglades have proven to be the deadliest. One of the worst, the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401, is being revisited by a local filmmaker, Erin Brockhouse, to honor the survivors of one of the worst air disasters in American history. The 1972 crash caused 101 fatalities and left 75 survivors.

Visual/Multimedia Work

Filters & Sorting
SFMN •

MDC students urge action in Venezuela at Venexodo Fest 2020 (video story included)

Scores of Miami Dade College students recently held an event at the school’s Koubek Center to raise awareness about the current humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. There were food trucks, live music, art, a documentary and a discussion from members of the student-led initiative known as Venexodo, a combo of the country’s name and “exodus.” “We are all born with the right to have a life with dignity and freedom,” said Venezuelan immigrant Patricia Camacho in Spanish.