Some say they feel a little different when they’re closer to the place they were born. It’s certainly true for me and Central America. Feels like the little compass in my head jolts and spins fast pointing north is all around.
In Guate, I remember hearing parades and hoping they’d twist down the same road as me, markets that turn into labyrinths pulling you at the nose deeper and deeper, and seeing the familiar scene of volcanoes scraping against the sky. Serenades and tiny arcades ring in your ear. Rainy season thunderstorms pounce on you in the afternoon and soothes you to sleep at night. The view and conversation is better on the back of a moto uber, just have to do a little prayer before you hit the intersections.
Carrying my yashica mat never feels like extra weight. This little hunk a metal has survived a lot of falls, I wonder how long it’ll last.
Guatemala on grainy #mediumformat film 🎞️ 2025.
#yashicamat124g
A summer of photojournalism and audio reportage with @elfaronet El Faro- English, the Salvadoran investigative outlet.
This past summer, I interned for Latin America’s first digital newspaper as a photographer and reporter for its English podcast, Central America in Minutes. Think of CAM as a weekly recap of whats going on in El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Belize, with analysis often tying it to US foreign policy.
Days were spent rummaging for stories around the streets of Guatemala City, writing for the podcast, and covering daily events like when soon-to-be former Secretary of DHS Kristi Noem visited to expand the Trump administration’s deportation network or when the human rights organization Cristosal made its announcement to permanently close its office in El Salvador after mounting pressure from the government. I got face to face with luchadores, too close to street fireworks (won me a visit to the eye doc), and saw all forms of tight-knit love.
In those months, the El Faro newsroom endured its own exile from El Salvador and saw its talented journalists scattered across Central America and other parts of the world. They continue to face the heavy choices that come with leaving your country behind, keeping their convictions strong, reporting through it all.
More thoughts than there is space here. So it goes.
In September 2024, Dorothy and Jorge Sanchez lost their 33-year-old son, Jonathan, to an overdose. In the year that followed, Dorothy wrote Jonathan’s Legacy, a book reflecting on her son’s life while chronicling the letters sent between them as he battled addiction.
Dorothy is one of many at the center of the opioid crisis that has gripped Sullivan County, New York. In 2022, the county ranked highest in New York State for overdose deaths per capita.
Now, Dorothy is fighting for a seat at the table where policy and community health intersect. She is challenging local law enforcement and public officials to support a proposed county bill, Jonathan’s Legacy, focused on investing in long-term rehabilitation and sustainable treatment options for substance use disorder. Dorothy has collected nearly 1000 signatures for the bill and has created community for families enduring similar fights.
Thank you to Dorothy and her family for their trust.
And a long-overdue thank you to my thoughtful mentors Lauren Bulbin, Marvin Joseph, Corinne Perkins, and Janiqua Robinson at the 38th @eddieadamsworkshop . It was an honor to learn from and alongside photojournalists who represent both the eyes of the world and the next generation of empathetic storytellers.
I walked across the stage for my masters in international reporting from Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY! @newmarkjschool
What comes next feels sort of like looking out from the edge of the universe but I’m proud to have made it this far.
Celebrating alongside my classmates was one of the brightest moments of my life. They’re the future of journalism and a generation of storytellers jumping into what we know are unprecedented times. My respect for them is endless.
The program took me back to Central America to work alongside local journalists, many of them now sacrificing their livelihoods to report the truth. I also had the privilege to immerse myself further into a city i’ve called home for nearly five years. Being a journalist has already allowed me to see corners of this life that will forever stay imprinted in my chest.
A deadline is now the most exciting and dreadful word imaginable! But now this photographer can write too.
Thank you to my professors for guiding my tangled thoughts. Thank you to those I hold close for holding me upright on the longest days.
📸 (1,20)Thank you, @elorariverkang , for lending your talented eyes and giving me moments from the day i’ll never forget. For helping me see the breadcrumbs.⚡️🫀
(5,8,18) Courtesy of CUNY
Zohran Mamdani has been elected as New York City’s 111th mayor.
At 34, it makes Mamdani the youngest mayor in more than a century to hold the position and the first Asian American and the first Muslim to lead the city.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.” Mamdani addressed a crowd of supporters, volunteers, and press at the Brooklyn Paramount, sharing the stage with his wife Rama Duwaji, mother Mira Nair and father Mahmood Mamdani.
“Together, we will usher in a generation of change. And if we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves.”
——
#newyorkcity #zohranmamdani #election
Hundreds of people gathered in Times Square, New York City on February 24th to commemorate three years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The anniversary comes days after re-elected President Trump falsely stated Ukraine instigated the war and called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine a dictator. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and is the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Although limited to a small number, counter demonstrators were seen on the outskirts wearing MAGA (Make America Great Again) gear.
“Will America be the leader of the free world?” said President Zelenskyy as he addressed a G7 meeting this morning.
Thousands of zealous Trump supporters dawning “MAGA” gear lined up from daybreak to the moment Madison Square Garden, billed as “the world’s most famous arena”, announced it had reached capacity.
Less than ten days before the general election, Trump decided to hold a campaign rally in his hometown, a city who indicted him on 34 felonies only last year. New York state has not voted for a Republican candidate in 40 years.
Though the state may not lean to his favor, it was clear his presence emboldened his supporters to come out in mass. They faced off with counter-demonstrations on the steps of the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.
#newyork #newyorkcity #photojournalism #documentaryphotography #election2024
The 60th anniversary of the Hispanic Day Parade, New York City, 2024.
More than 10,000 people danced, marched and galloped down Fifth Ave this past Sunday afternoon in a parade organized by the Comité del Desfile de la Hispanidad to celebrate the America’s 20 Spanish-speaking countries and their unique traditions.
#documentaryphotography #hispanicheritagemonth #photography #photojournalism #nyc
The 76th year of the @mophotoworkshop just wrapped and I, alongside 39 other photographers, humbly submitted work to join the largest archive of small town America and its people. Kennett, Missouri is big sky country with little big stories planted across its cotton plains. I think we did a pretty good job capturing it.
My documentary story, Micro Dreams, follows two teachers who left public school behind to start something different for young kiddos just starting to learn about the world around them. Thank you to them for letting me into their micro world.
I’ll remember a day’s worth of sleep stretched over the course of a week, the photographers next to me making such bright work in spite of the storms (real & and metaphorical) and the incredible mentors holding a candle for us to follow. The team behind the curtains was truly special, thanks for making us feel it too.
I left Missouri with lightening in my brain, a new mental map to use when making picture stories. Best job i’ve ever had.
#documentaryphotography #missouriphotoworkshop #mpw #missouri #microschool #photojournalism
