Michelle Gutierrez is a visual journalist based in Minneapolis. She recently interned as a multimedia journalist with the Des Moines Register. Gutierrez grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2023. During her time there Gutierrez worked as a photographer, photo editor, assistant director of photography, and a designer at the Columbia Missourian newspaper. She also worked and volunteered for the Missouri Photo Workshop and College Photographer of the Year competition.