Our New Photography Director
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Krista Niles joined the staff of Voices, Inc., after 14 years in daily photojournalism. She has traveled the country extensively, working for The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Lincoln Journal-Star, The San Antonio Express-News and several other media organizations. Her documentary project work focuses primarily on youth-related issues and women’s health issues. She studied photojournalism at San Francisco State University as also attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied Art History. She recently launched a line of greeting cards and calendars, which she photographs and designs
Our Projects Director
As Projects Director, Rachel Villarreal oversees the cycle of all VOICES projects. Since she began in 2005, she helped VOICES’ staff and volunteers mentor hundreds of low-income youth to tell their personal and community stories through the documentary and media arts. These projects include: the 110º After School Magazine Project, our innovative, award-winning out-of-school program; the Looking Forward/Looking Back Digital Storytelling Project on the San Xavier Reservation with Tohono O’odham youth; the World War 2 Stories Project an oral history project with City High School students and teachers (www.ww2stories.org); the South Park Generaciones Unidas Project, pairing youth and elders together to photograph their neighborhood; the Living Stories Project, a series of intergenerational open community workshops; and the upcoming Voices Freelance Program (VFP) that trains youth in our best practices to become freelance journalists.
Villarreal is also a Ph.D. in History, a degree she earned from the University of Arizona. As a Fulbright Scholar, she conducted research for her dissertation entitled, “Gladiolas for the Children of Sanchez: Uruchurtu’s Mexico City, 1950-1968.” Her research focuses on urban society and culture and analyzes competing discourses about poverty and the impact of urbanization and modernization on the family. Her dedication to history reflects her love of storytelling. Villarreal also earned an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in Latin American Studies. She has six years of teaching experience in history, research, and writing- a perfect blend for VOICES!
Voices Artists Win “Dynamic Duo” Award
Kimi Eisele and Josh Schachter won the “Making A Difference” Award at The Dynamic Duo Gala sponsored by Compass Health Care on September 25, 2005.
Eisele and Schachter were chosen for this prestigious community award for their efforts as the leaders of The VOICES 110o After School Magazine Project. Eisele and Schachter were the founding writing and photography directors of the 110o Project.
This “dynamic duo” continued their groundbreaking ways last year when they were the guest artists on our pilot project with the San Xavier District of The Tohono O’odham Nation, Looking Forward/Looking Back.
Look for more about the project Eisele and Schachter are currently pioneering for VOICES—The Living Stories Project—in the next issue of this newsletter.
