Chelsea Casabona

Chelsea Casabona is a multimedia journalist covering Southern Colorado, based in Colorado Springs. Prior to moving to Colorado, Chelsea lived in New York City, where she worked as a freelance documentary filmmaker and journalist covering health, neurodivergence, arts, and culture.

Inspired by the documentary "Bahía de Cochinos, Nuestra Perspectiva," which featured her grandfather, Angel Casabona, as a main character, Chelsea developed a lifelong interest in history, politics, and visual storytelling. She pursued her undergraduate studies in these fields at Florida State University, gaining valuable experience in videography.

Chelsea received her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, from which she graduated with honors. As part of her master’s project, she co-directed, produced, filmed, and edited her first short documentary, “METTLE”. The film follows the journey of a blind judoka as she prepares for her second Paralympic Games in Paris; it is currently in its festival circuit.

Location: Colorado Springs

Language spoken: English

Topic expertise: Health, food systems, arts and culture

Demographic expertise: Senior citizens, immigrant and refugee stories

Honors & Awards: 2024 Pulitzer Fellow, 2024 Gary Corcoran Student Prize for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, “Best Student Work” award at the 2024 International Sport Film Festival for "METTLE", finalist for "YES Award" from the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival for "METTLE", 2024 Joan Konner Prize Recipient from Columbia Journalism School