Vanessa is a former TV anchor with a passion for bilingual storytelling. She is passionate about equity, inclusion and thoughtful diversity initiatives. In 2015, Vanessa launched the first bilingual, Spanish-English newsroom for Reynolds students at the University of Nevada, Reno called “Noticiero Móvil.” The innovative program was made possible by the Online News Association Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education. In February of this year, she launched a print version of the student work in the area’s first bilingual magazine titled “Somos Nevada” in an effort to make the content accessible to all members of the community. Earlier this year, she also delivered a TEDx talk at the University of Nevada, Reno in which she challenges the public to face and manage their assumptions about others.