By Sophia Moreno
Staff Writer
Lights shone over the black Marley stage of the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse as TCHS Choreo rehearsed for their upcoming Nostalgia Dance Concert. Engulfed by the grandeur of their performance, Public Informations Officer Susana Capra arose from her seat. Click! She snapped a magnificent photograph of their performance, smiling at her work.
“I love seeing the excitement and growth of all the students in the district,” Capra said. “It never feels like a drag to go and shoot because I get to document beautiful and special events.”
With the start of COVID-19, the district decided to put a halt on the previous PIO position, but two years back from virtual learning, the district wanted to bring back a stronger social media presence. They now hope to integrate the district office more into the external and internal community of the city.
Working since August of 2023, Capra shares what’s going on in the district with the public. Her job focuses on informing, building and celebrating the community, such as posting weekly highlights on the district Instagram listing the events throughout the week as well as each school’s lunch and breakfast menu. She covers stories from events to specific people in the district, constantly visiting all eight schools to get the most recent news.
“My goal is to continue highlighting every school and informing families,” Capra said. “I also want to have a little more fun, producing student takeovers and social media contests.”
Before her current job, Capra worked in marketing, media and public relations for 15 years. She originally had her own content creation company called Capra Photography where her team captured photos ranging from weddings to sports events. She also worked for companies including Crypto Arena, ABC, Google, Disney and more.
Originally interested in sports, Capra interned for the Women’s Professional Soccer team in San Francisco, taking photos for their social media. To this day, Capra still helps take sports pictures at the Crypto.com Arena.
“I always had my camera and took photos whenever there were events,” Capra said. “Eventually, I came back to Los Angeles to work for L.A. Sol as a marketing associate, and then eventually became their full time photographer.”
After becoming a consultant for multiple company’s websites, Capra wanted something new and earned a job as a photojournalism and video production teacher at her old highschool, Alverno Heights Academy. There, she helped schools around the area with their websites and media presence as a marketing director. Looking to slow down, Capra applied to TCUSD’s PIO position.
“I think it’s really great that the district has invested in community relations and outreach,” Capra said. “It’s given TCUSD a platform to share all of the awesome things going on in our community and I look forward to helping this great district shine.”
If anyone has suggestions on what the district’s Instagram account should cover, Capra recommends that they send her a message at @templecityunified on Instagram so that the account can highlight and get the opinions of everyone in the community.
