Stories by
By Bianca Theodore
When she was a child, the photojournalist Gabriella Báez would sometimes find a globe without Puerto Rico on it.
Today, as a sociocultural anthropology major at the University of Puerto Rico, Gabriella fights to bring awareness to overlooked communities through her camera lens.
“I was interested in photojournalism, but I started looking into visual anthropology,” Gabriella said.
From there, she said, she became more interested in covering stories of day-to-day life in Puerto Rico and in producing long-term investigative work.
After losing a loved one to mental health issues in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Gabriella has become only more determined to continue her work.
“From that point on, I’ve truly been passionate about visualizing the mental health crisis that’s currently happening on the island,” Gabriella said. “It’s personal, but I share it publicly because it’s an essential part of my work.”
The proud Puerto Rican woman’s work is close to her heart, but reaches far beyond home. One of her favorite projects focused on women of color at Macalester College in Minnesota and their contribution to cultural diversity on campus.
That project, among others, earned her the 2017 Student Photographer of the Year award from the National Association of Puerto Rican Photojournalists. Now, the 21-year-old has joined The New York Times Student Journalism Institute. Later this summer, Gabriella has a mentorship at the photography platform Visura and an artist residency at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico.
Regardless of where she goes, she carries home with her.
“I want to use my camera to tell the stories that are ignored and invisible,” Gabriella said. “My ultimate goal as a photojournalist is to shed light on Puerto Rico and make the island known.”
She plans to put her island on every map — one picture at a time.
Photo by Ivan Armando Flores/NYT Institute