Laura Testino is a Chalkbeat Tennessee reporter based in Memphis, her home since 2019. Her love for the city grew through prior reporting experience covering education and general news for The Commercial Appeal newspaper. While a journalism and dance student at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa piqued her interest in the ways education systems shape communities. A stint covering arts and culture in New Orleans at The Times-Picayune only made her more fond of Southern cities, and interested in the equity of their school systems. When she isn’t out reporting, she’s probably at the park with Rita, her Alabama dog adopted in New York City.