Marianna Sotomayor
Marianna Sotomayor
Personal Life
Marianna Sotomayor was raised in Tampa, Florida by parents who came from Peru. Both of her parents, Eduardo Sotomayor and Maria Gavancho Sotomayor, were doctors. They met in medical school and got married soon after. Eduardo became the first director of the George Washington University Cancer Center in 2015.[1]
Dr. Eduardo Sotomayor is the youngest of seven siblings.
He was born and raised in San Juan de Marcona in southern Peru and his father worked for the Marcona Mining Company.
Marianna has a brother named Eduardo Jr., who studies art history at New York University. She is not related to Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
She used to be in a relationship with Maximillian Blinder for over 6 years.
He's a law student who attended George Washington University Law School.
Education
Marianna attended the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa where she was the political editor of the high school newspaper, Achona. She studied Spanish and Political science at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain in 2014. She also graduated from George Washington University with bachelor’s degree in political communication with a minor in journalism and mass communication in 2015 as well as a master’s degree in media and strategic communication in 2016. [2]
Sotomayor was the station manager of the George Washington University TV station, GW-TV. She was also the executive producer and anchor of GWEEK. She ended up as one of eight undergraduate students accepted into the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs’ combined degree program during her junior year.
She took home the inaugural George Washington University-White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship in 2015, netting herself $2,500 towards her fourth year studies.
The award also gave her the opportunity to attend the WHCA Dinner that year and meet Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. She was inspired by to continue pursuing her a career in journalism by the former first lady, saying: [3]
"She told me that journalism needed more people like me in the field.
Well, if Michelle said that, I can’t fail her now."
Career
Marianna Sotomayor started working at NBC News as a Tim Russert Fellow working as a general assignment field producer, web producer for the political unit, and research assistant for Meet the Press. In 2016, she moved up to Associate Producer and focused mostly on Capitol Hill. In May of 2019, she started working as a political campaign embed, documenting the 2020 election. [2]
In an interview with Politico, Sotomayor told about her start in journalism:
“I grew up being a political campaign junkie thanks to my parents, who were always attuned to the news and every election cycle as Florida voters.
Even though political journalism was always on display on my TV screens at home growing up, I did not realize that’s what I wanted to do until teachers and friends began to tell me I was a skilled writer.
I think the idea of journalism clicked when I was a preteen -- and an avid fan of boy bands -- and saw that people had jobs just asking questions to my favorite celebrities.
But it took a trip to Washington, D.C., in high school to make me realize that political journalism was it for me.
I remember thinking that it was so much cooler asking senators and members of Congress questions in an effort to hold them accountable, which also made me see the job as worthwhile public service.
I still get an adrenaline rush watching impeachment and the campaign trail develop before my eyes.”[13]
Booted from Biden's Fundraiser
Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Rufus Gifford, said in a statement that “tonight’s event was a new format as we enter a new phase of the general election campaign.”[11]