Ashley Portillo

Ashley Portillo is a multimedia journalist for CBS News Colorado and is passionate about Covering Colorado First.

Ashley chose reporting as a career with the goal of telling stories in her community and listening to what others have to say.

"I knew since middle school that I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up," she says.

She also believes it's important to get answers, hold people accountable and give people a platform to share their story through tragedy or through celebration. She's covered everything from court and crime to city and county government, plus education, breaking news and severe weather.

Before joining the team in Denver, Ashley was a reporter at KOAA in Colorado Springs for three years. At KOAA, she covered the mass shooting at Club Q, the Letecia Stauch murder trial and the Joshua Johnson murder trial. She also covered stories during the Olympics and Paralympics. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter at KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Outside of the newsroom, you can find Ashley trying new restaurants around town, cooking, traveling or hiking in the mountains. She also enjoys soaking in the hot springs and she says it's just a matter of time before she learns how to snowboard or ski.

Just The Facts

Position: Multimedia Journalist

Year hired: October 2023

Alma Mater: Temple University, go Owls!

Why I am a journalist: To give people a platform to share their stories, listening to others, creative storytelling and making a difference in my community.

Most memorable interview: Sharing the stories of recovery and resilience after the Club Q shooting

Dream job: I'm doing it!

Star sign: Taurus

First TV appearance: Haha, does doing the morning announcements in high school count?

First story: My first several months in the industry, I was covering the aftermath and devastation of Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that hit the Coastal Bend of Texas.

Hidden talent: I can spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and antidisestablishmentarianism.

Hometown: Maryland/Pennsylvania

Favorite food: Mexican food

Number of pets: I don't have any pets, but I'm a big dog lover and will most likely ask to pet your dog if I meet them

Favorite sports team: I was born in Baltimore, so go Ravens!

Favorite vacation spot: Somewhere warm and tropical

What keeps you in Colorado? The mountains, the beauty, the fact that there is so many things to do, and of course the people and the community

What's the biggest risk you've taken? Moving away from all of my family and everything I knew when I was 22 years old

Who would play you in a movie? Selena Quintanilla, but then again J.Lo already did a phenomenal job playing her

You can contact Ashley by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.