You see their names under headlines, on TV and occupying your Twitter feed, but who are the people Behind the Byline? We’ll take you inside the POLITICO newsroom through interviews with our top-notch editorial team to provide insight on who we are, what we do and how our journalism is produced.

Since 2014, the POLITICO Journalism Institute (PJI) has offered emerging journalists the unique opportunity to sharpen their skills, work with mentors and learn the ins and outs of politics- and policy-focused journalism, in an effort to advance newsroom diversity throughout the nation’s capital. Reporters Maya King and Sabrina Rodriguez first came to POLITICO through PJI, and since then, they have distinguished themselves as top-notch journalists. Inspired by the evolution of their careers, we did our very own POLITICO take on “how it started, how it’s going” featuring Maya and Sabrina. We spoke to the both of them to learn more about how they moved from PJI to full-time reporters and what they’re looking forward to covering this year.

You both began your careers at POLITICO as members of the POLITICO Journalism Institute. Can you briefly walk us through how your careers progressed from PJI to your current roles now?
Maya: After participating in PJI in 2018, I returned to POLITICO the following summer as an intern on the education and breaking news teams. I stayed in the newsroom as a fellow and moved over to the Campaigns team to help cover the 2020 primary election, where I focused on race and political advertising. I now cover race and politics full-time as a politics reporter.
Sabrina: It has been a crazy past six years since I first applied for PJI. I’ve gone through almost all the stepping stones at POLITICO — intern, fellow, Pro trade reporter, politics reporter and now, immigration correspondent. Each role has helped me build up my understanding of how politics, policy and power work in D.C., and taught me about all the people and teams that make the POLITICO newsroom work.

What tips and tricks did you learn in PJI that have been the most helpful in your careers? What advice would you give to future PJI participants?
Maya: PJI taught me the importance of networking, which is invaluable to a young reporter when you're chasing multiple stories and trying to learn a new beat quickly. I'd encourage the new class of students to stay close with members of your class and to keep in touch the folks at POLITICO and other newsrooms — you never know who you'll meet again down the road!
Sabrina: The biggest tip: Don’t be afraid to ask questions or reach out and seek guidance from people you admire. It can feel intimidating when you arrive in D.C. and meet lots of impressive journalists who are experts in certain subject areas and look like they have it all figured out. But 1) most people don’t have it all figured out, and 2) it’ll help you in the long run to get advice from people that have been in D.C. journalism longer than you have. Most people are more than happy to offer advice and answer questions. It benefits us all to see PJIers/new young journalists in D.C. succeed.

You both recently moved into new positions. How has it been going? What are you looking forward to most about the future of your roles?
Maya: I've been a full-time reporter for about seven months now, and it's been a great ride so far! The intersection of race and politics is on everyone's minds these days, especially in the face of a historically diverse White House Cabinet and Congress, and on the heels of a summer of protests against racial inequities. Right now, I'm most looking forward to working on our new newsletter, The Recast, which traces the evolution of race and identity as they relate to U.S. politics.
Sabrina: It has been nonstop! I’ve been learning so much about immigration policy and politics on the job, and I am so thankful for immigration reporters’ previous coverage, which has helped me catch up and make sense of everything happening under the Biden administration. I’m most excited to bring new stories about immigration to POLITICO that we haven’t traditionally covered in the past.

You both contributed to campaign coverage through your demographics reporting. How did that work prepare you for your new roles?
Maya: Demographics reporting has been my bread and butter over the past year, which has only furthered my coverage now. I'm looking forward to writing about more demographics in stories and the newsletter, including Native American and Asian American communities.
Sabrina: My 2020 campaign coverage left me thinking a lot about the issues that move voters — and with immigration remaining a hot-button issue and priority for Biden, I’m prepared now to follow the politics of it, not just the policy.

With your editor at the helm of the recently launched newsletter The Recast, how do you expect your reporting to contribute to its content?
Maya: I plan to continue my reporting on race and politics, which will be a regular feature of the newsletter. I'm also looking forward to adding some coverage of political campaigns, too, as a growing number of people of color run for public office.
Sabrina: I’m always super interested in how the media and politicians think about Latino voters and definitely want to explore it in the newsletter.