Meet the Team

Dara Joan Dela Cruz

Accounting & Finance Assistant

Dara Joan Dela Cruz formerly worked in the KPBS newsroom as an assistant and call screener for Friday's Midday Edition. Dara attends San Diego State University where she plans to graduate with a business degree in accounting. She is a current member of the University Honors Program, which has encouraged her to also pursue a minor in interdisciplinary studies. After graduation, she later hopes to obtain an MBA, become a certified public accountant, and eventually manage her own firm. Before coming to San Diego, Dara lived in the Silicon Valley, where she grew up and graduated from Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. In her spare time, Dara likes to explore the city, watch films, and play the flute, as she is also a member of the university's wind symphony.

RECENT STORIES ON KPBS

National

An engineer restores pay phones for free public use

Julian Ring

In a rural Vermont county, spotty cellphone coverage is the norm. But a local tinkerer is using old technology to help his community stay connected free of charge.
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: Grounded

Follow a fighter pilot who operates a drone in a high-tech world battling both war and motherhood. With pressures from every angle, she balances being the perfect soldier, wife and mother. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Michael Mayer's staging.
International

Videos of emaciated hostages in Gaza raise pressure on Israel for a ceasefire

The Associated Press

New images of emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas.
Military

New contract between Marine Corps, Frontwave Credit Union provides more protections for recruits

Scott Rodd

A KPBS investigation last year found the Marine Corps funneled thousands of Marine recruits into the Oceanside-based credit union annually in order to process their paychecks. It also found the credit union relied on overdraft fees as a key source of revenue.
Yosemite employees worked for weeks with no pay before the government hired them

Chiara Eisner

Seasonal employees counting on housing at Yosemite were asked to volunteer for the park while the government was unable to onboard them at the start of the summer.
Health

Teen suicide is on the decline, new federal data shows

Rhitu Chatterjee

The 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health report found that in recent years, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teens have declined.