S.J. Velasquez headshot

As international homepage producer for BBC.com, I’m responsible for curating the best of the BBC for a global audience. Beyond digital production, I have extensive journalism experience as a reporter, editor, copy editor, multimedia producer and social media manager.

When I’m not managing the BBC homepage, I’m teaching university journalism classes and training as a champion-level Irish dancer.

Selected work

2015 Pulitzer Prize Finalist: Breaking News Reporting

The Buffalo News staff

“For a superbly reported and written account of a lake-effect snowstorm, using human detail to illuminate the story and multimedia elements to help readers through the storm.”

My family is buried in a car park’

BBC.com

What happens when a sport arena is built next to your ancestors’ resting place? [Link now directs to TopGear.com, but original story is available on Internet Archive]

Today’s Irish dancers step away from stereotype

NPR.org

If you haven’t been paying attention to Irish dancing since Riverdance, you might be surprised by the ethnic diversity on display at top-tier competitions.

The weird tale behind ice cream truck jingles

BBC.com

But where did this summer hallmark come from? It’s a strange, surprising story, and the answers have effects far beyond popsicle sales. [Link now directs to TopGear.com, but original story is available on Internet Archive]

Do our names push us towards certain jobs?

BBC.com

A proctologist called Dr Butts, a pastry chef called Baker – is it sheer coincidence, or does the universe have a way of pushing people towards careers that reflect their names?