Victoria Rossi — who has experience as a journalist, immigration paralegal and human rights researcher — will join El Paso Matters in June to report on the status of women in our area.

The new reporting position is made possible by Report for America, a national service program, and more than 80 El Paso donors who contributed to a fundraiser last month.

“I feel that El Paso and Ciudad Juárez are at the center of many of the largest issues of our era; I’m delighted to join El Paso Matters and covering women’s issues in the region is a dream beat for me,” Rossi said.

“I want to help bring light to the stories of the women of El Paso — in all their racial, cultural, and gender diversity — covering the issues and policy decisions that shape their lives. I can’t wait to explore women’s vital contributions to this community, as well as the challenges they face in achieving economic, social, and political equality.”

Rossi received a masters of public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a masters of science from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. 

In the summer of 2019, she was a field researcher in El Paso and Juárez for the nonprofit organization Human Rights First, studying the impacts of the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program. She has worked as a journalist in the United States, India and Colombia.

“Victoria brings an amazing array of skills and experiences to El Paso Matters. She will be able to bring a critical eye to the wide array of issues affecting women in our border region,” El Paso Matters CEO Robert Moore said.

Report for America places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization. 

In December, El Paso Matters was one of 64 local newsrooms selected to host a new Report for America corps member for 2021-22. Report for America is placing about 300 journalists in local newsrooms this coming year.

Corps members serve for two years, with a third year available. Report for America provides half the journalist’s salary the first year and a third of the salary the second year. The host newsroom is responsible for the remainder of the salary, as well as benefits and equipment costs.

If you’d like to support Rossi’s reporting, become a member of El Paso Matters by donating any amount of your choosing.