Karina Vargas joined the ABC 10News team in Jan. 2026 as a Multimedia Journalist.
Karina was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from California State University — Northridge after double-majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Communications.
Before making her way back to Southern California, her six-year career took Karina to KOMO News in Seattle where she covered major stories including the rise in crime, the fentanyl crisis, and several pro-Palestinian protests that broke out amid the war in Gaza.
In 2023, Karina won her first Emmy in the Pacific Northwest for covering the historic Dec. 2022 ice storm that paralyzed Seattle. The freezing rain coated roads, sidewalks and bridges in thick sheets of ice and caused major power outages across Western Washington.
Her career also took Karina to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, where she was a weekend anchor and reporter. She extensively covered immigration and Title 42, a measure implemented by the Trump administration in March of 2020 that aimed to reduce immigration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Title 42 was lifted in December of 2022.
Karina reported on several presidential and gubernatorial visits to migrant centers along the U.S-Mexico border.
During her final months in Texas, Karina covered the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
When Karina is not out in the field, she enjoys spending her time at the beach, hiking, going to sporting events and trying out the best coffee shops in town.
To email her story ideas, you can reach her at Karina.Vargas@10news.com.
