Award
She noticed Margarita and Ismael walking down Broadway Street one day, parked her car, and ran after them to introduce herself.
They agreed to a story and Castillo approached her editor, Christopher Scott, about her idea.
“I appreciate Chris for his trust in me, in telling what is really a feature story with no real tie to hard news,” she said. “As a local news reporter and the only Latina in the newsroom at the time, it was important for me to seek stories about everyday people, particularly people of color. I am glad I was given that space at The Sun, and am cheering on the current staff from afar.”
In the story, Castillo described Margarita’s “barely 5-foot frame ambling behind her walker, her gray hair hidden under a plain red cap,” and Ismael as “a giant alongside her with his confident gait and neck draped in gold chains and a beaded rosary.”
Judges had this comment on Castillo’s story: “This story is lovely, and we continue to be astonished by its dual nature: simple yet complex. It is the story of two people walking, but it is so much more. We learn about a lifetime of love and obstacles and heartache in a relatively short read. There is nothing sappy or cloying in this piece. It just is. It made my heart ache, and it made my heart soar. It’s a gift.”
Castillo, who also covered Dracut and Tyngsboro for the newspaper, left The Sun in September 2019, when she and her family returned to Florida to be closer to family.