Laura De La O
"Laura started working at NMPBS in May of 2010 as a student production intern. But her history with PBS started many, MANY years ago… Once, in third grade, Laura wanted to share her love of the PBS Kids show “Square One” with her classmates. The teacher gave her permission to draw a representation of the show’s “Mathman” segment on the board (basically, Pac Man with arithmetic problems instead of fruit). It was a dry-erase Masterpiece (possibly a harbinger of future graphic design prowess). The class seemed to agree that this was a show worth watching, and Laura likes to imagine KOCE in Southern California probably got a nice influx of 8-year-old viewership that afternoon.
Filled with the pride that comes with successfully promoting quality programming, Laura set to erasing the board. Much to her horror (and the teacher’s) the realization set in that she hadn’t used a dry-erase marker, but a permanent one.
The teacher tried to help by wiping it with a wad of soggy, brown, public school paper towels, but all attempts were in vain. “Mathman” lived on the board for the remainder of Laura’s third grade experience.
Much like the indelible drawing of “Mathman”, PBS is an inextricable piece of Laura’s identity. As a life-long fan, Laura is thrilled to have the opportunity to promote the programs she loves (but this time, without permanent markers)."