¡Hola, todos!
My name is María Marta Guzmán and I joined the WBIR family in October of 2022 as a bilingual Multi-Skilled Journalist. I'm now lucky to call East Tennessee home and serve our community.
I come from the land of lakes and volcanoes -- my beloved Nicaragua. I moved to the United States at six years old with my family in pursuit of a better life and the American Dream. Not knowing one single word of English, my family and I first landed in a suburb of Illinois. I later spent my childhood years going to school and growing up in the Northwest side of Chicago. Go Cubs!
After a few years in the Windy City, we moved to the 'Gateway to the Americas' -- Miami. There I began pursuing journalism and fell in love with the rich Latin culture found across the 305.
I graduated from DePaul University where I majored in Journalism and double minored in Spanish and Latin America & Latino Studies. Studying in a city like Chicago opened so many doors in my education career. During my time at DePaul, I co-founded the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and Chicago's first student-led Spanish newspaper, La DePaulia.
Before WBIR, I worked at NBC Telemundo Chicago, WGN 9 News, Block Club Chicago, NBC Nightly News and NBC Special Report in New York. I was a freelance correspondent for CBC News Toronto where I internationally reported on-air during the 2020 Kenosha unrest.
My immigration story from Nicaragua to the U.S. is the reason for my commitment to this career. In a time when I felt like my family members' voices and my voice were not being told, other journalists were that voice for me. Now it's my turn to pay it forward and serve our underrepresented community. Journalism is my public service and my way to serve you!
I'm a proud NAHJ member and a strong advocate for more Latinos in news.
Aside from reporting in English, I also cover Latino center stories for our Spanish newscast Noticias WBIR. My goal is to help close the bilingual news coverage gap found in our region.
In my free time, you can find me working out, attending church or dancing bachata with my family!
Join me on my journey! Follow me on Instagram: @themariaguzman, X (formerly known as Twitter): @themariamguzman and Facebook: @Mariamartaguzmannews. Send me story ideas: mguzman@wbir.com.
