Adriana Cardona-Maguigad Celebrated with 2026 Cecilia Vaisman Award for Multimedia Reporting

Medill award honors journalists reporting on Latinx and Hispanic communities

EVANSTON, ILL. -- Adriana Cardona-Maguigad is the recipient of the 2026 Cecilia Vaisman Award from the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University.

Named in memory of the late Medill Associate Professor Cecilia Vaisman, the award recognizes audio and video journalists who work tirelessly to give others insight on the issues affecting Latinx and Hispanic communities around the world. Recipients are awarded $5,000 and an opportunity to speak at Medill. Cardona-Maguigad will speak at Medill and Northwestern’s Audiophile conference in April.

Cardona-Maguigad is a Colombian journalist currently covering immigration for WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR affiliate. In the past, she reported for WBEZ's "Curious City" and spent several years covering Chicago schools.

Since she started her career in journalism, Cardona-Maguigad has maintained a deep focus on Chicago’s immigrant communities—primarily Latinx and Hispanic.

During her time in Matamoros, Mexico, she reported on the Trump administration’s 'Remain in Mexico' program, a first-term policy that forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates.

By 2022, she began covering the migrant crisis in Chicago, sharing the stories of mostly Venezuelan migrants and efforts to help them adjust. Additionally, since the start of the Trump administration's second term, she has reported extensively on its deportation campaign. She recently traveled to Mexico to follow deported Chicago residents. Cardona-Maguigad’s work appeared on NPR’s "This American Life," NPR's "Code Switch," the Chicago Sun-Times and its Spanish language publication La Voz.

Cardona-Maguigad says one of her most meaningful professional experiences was training young adults in Casablanca, Morocco, on how to produce stories for the radio.

“The coverage of how immigrants are being treated across the city and around the country is one of the most important stories of our time, and Adriana Cardona-Maguigad’s reporting is critical to shedding light on the challenges Hispanic and Latine communities face,” remarked Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We are delighted to honor her with the Vaisman Award, especially at this unprecedented time.”

In addition to the Vaisman Award, Cardona-Maguigad has received multiple awards for her work including a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, a national Edward R. Murrow Award and several local Peter Lisagor Awards.

"My career began shortly before Cecilia Vaisman passed away,” said Cardona-Maguigad. “However, upon learning that I was receiving this award, I spent some time listening to the remarkable audio stories that continue to keep her memory alive. I was blown away. At one point, I felt as though I was in my living room with a freedom fighter describing her vision for a better Puerto Rico, or with Cuban immigrants detailing the struggles they faced as children when they were sent to the U.S. under Operation Pedro Pan. Listening to these narratives deeply inspired me to continue producing audio stories about Chicago's immigrants. I am profoundly honored and humbled to receive the 2026 Cecilia Vaisman Award."

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