Meet The Union’s new reporter, Giovanni Coronel

Hi there, my name is Giovanni Coronel and I am the new Washington Reporter for the Southeast Iowa Union.

My familiarity with the area is in no short supply as I’ve lived in Washington for the better part of the last 15 years. A fun fact, my first “real” job was delivering papers for the Washington Evening Journal.

I had two routes. After they dropped off the paper bundles at my house, I would race home after school, bag up the bundles, sling those bags over my shoulders, and bike from house to house. I was in my young teenage years at the time but I took my job seriously, a trait that continues to persist to this day.

I grew up in Keota with my parents and two brothers (I’m the middle child) but then moved to Washington around sixth grade and ended up graduating as a Demon in 2016. High school was fun as I played soccer and performed Improv, although time sure does fly as my ten-year reunion is coming up soon.

After working for Syngenta and attending the local Kirkwood Community College for two years for my gen eds, I transferred to the University of Iowa where I studied English/Creative Writing and graduated in 2020. Not the best time to graduate but I enjoyed my time at the U of I where my days were filled with reading and writing, two of my favorite pastimes.

In September of 2022, I started as a Reporter for The News in Kalona and eventually became the Sports Editor. Hours could be hectic at times as I tried my best to put out a paper every week for our readers to enjoy and I’m proud to say I never missed a deadline.

My days were filled with attending local high school sporting events, taking pictures, interviewing players/coaches, and putting together articles/pages. I’ve always had an interest in sports but couldn't say I knew the ins and outs of all of them so there was a learning curve, but it was one I was happy to take on.

There was a lot of traveling, my car is a warrior, but the venues were worth the trip and state events always felt special. It was rewarding to provide stories and pictures to the public and have them give thanks.

With my time at The News being my first stint with journalism, I’ve come to appreciate and understand the importance of local newspapers. I learned every person or organization has a story and I want to do my part in discovering those stories and giving them the spotlight they deserve.

I learned a great deal during my time with The News and I am looking forward to continuing my journalism journey here at The Southeast Iowa Union.

It is my goal to keep up the top notch work readers have become accustomed to. I’m still settling into my new position, but I’m eager to get going and become a more prominent figure of the community.

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