Natalia Gnecco, is a Colombian journalist with a degree in Journalism and another in Mass Communications from Universidad de La Sabana, in Bogotá, Colombia. After graduation, she lived in Michigan, United States, where she had the opportunity to improve her English, as a second language. In the early 1990s, she began working as a Journalist at Hoy Diario del Magdalena, a newspaper based out of Santa Marta, Colombia and soon became assistant to the Director.
She founded and directed the weekly newspaper Reportero de La Costa in Santa Marta from 1999 to 2005. In 2006, due to political and journalistic reasons, she had to leave Colombia and traveled to Lansing, Michigan. Natalia was selected by American Votes to receive special training about political campaigns in North America, with the consent of Michigan State University.
By 2007 she was in Canada as a refugee, studying and improving her third language: French. She started her experience as a correspondent for Conexión Colombia, El Popular of Toronto and Abanico magazine, allowing her to interview many personalities in Canada and to get to know the most important international festivals held in Montreal in cinema, music, dance, gastronomy, literature, theatre and opera.
In 2009, she created Latinarte Festival in Montreal that offered a window to the Latin-American culture while living in Quebec as well as a “real encounter” with the southern countries’ popular art. The objective was to integrate, discover and share the different aspects of art. It was a multidisciplinary arts event that included films, poetry, art exhibits, concerts and gastronomy, in which the public had the chance to discover and appreciate for a whole week.
In 2010, she was chosen one of the seven personalities of year in Montreal and became a member of CIM Conseil Interculturel de Montréal (2008-2011). Once the political situation was resolved in her country, she decided to come back to Colombia. She also received from Venezuela the Cesar Vallejo Literary Journalistic Award 2011 for the migratory article “Raspa y Gana de los Inmigrantes.”
In August 2012, she became the Communication Coordinator of Superintendent of Industry and Commerce (SIC) in Bogota, Colombia and the same year, she joined @ELTIEMPO, where she remains as one top blogger of this important newspaper.
In 2018 she published her first book Son Mis Huellas y Hay Camino, an anthology of more than 11 years of virtual journalism, which are condensed on her website www.nataliagnecco.com
Spanish Version:
Natalia Gnecco Arregocés nació en Maicao, La Guajira- Colombia. Es periodista y comunicadora social egresada de la Universidad de La Sabana. En 2006 fue seleccionada por la organización American Votes para recibir un entrenamiento especial sobre campañas políticas en Pensilvania- Estados Unidos con la anuencia de la Universidad de Michigan MSU, Michigan State University. Gracias a esta posibilidad pudo ser parte de la formación de líderes en el programa Politic Hispanic Training.
En 2007 se refugia en Canadá y logra posicionarse rápidamente en el mundo cultural de Montreal, ciudad denominada como la capital de la cultura canadiense, como una de las líderes de la comunidad latinoamericana en Quebec. En 2009 fundó el Festival LatinArte dirigido a los artistas latinos residentes en la Bella Provincia. A finales de 2010 la Alcaldía de Montreal la nombró una de las siete personalidades del año y miembro honorario del CIM – Comité Intercultural de la Ciudad de Montreal.
De regreso a Colombia en 2011 gana el tercer lugar del concurso periodístico literario Notas Migratorias Cesar Vallejo. En 2012 comienza como bloguera de EL TIEMPO.COM y en la actualidad sus contenidos se destacan en el rango de los más leídos. En 2018 publicó su primer libro Son Mis Huellas y Hay Camino, una antología de más de 11 años de ciberperiodismo, que narra historias de personajes que ha entrevistado a lo largo de su carrera, publicados en Canadá y otros medios virtuales en Colombia.
