Marili Vaca is a photojournalist based in Rochester, NY. She currently works at the Democrat and Chronicle as the Social Media Storytelling Reporter. She highlights local businesses, events, and stories through vertical video, social posts and live content. Through this, she hopes to share stories featuring BIPOC and minority communities.

Marili is a 2022 Rochester Institute of Technology alumna. She graduated a Photojournalism major with a minor in Journalism. She specializes in portraiture using natural and artificial lighting. She also creates and edits video for social media.

Her Latin roots and experiences have influenced her work and have led her to make connections with people from all walks of life. In 2020, Marili had the chance to study abroad in Cuba where she created a portrait series about lower to middle class citizens that incorporated audio of them talking about their lives.

With every story, she learns something new. The experiences and people she has met along the way are unparalleled and hopes to continue her journey sharing the intimate stories of others.