Victoria “Toya” De Anda was born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, bordering El Paso, Texas. She holds a B.A. in anthropology with a minor in political science, as well as an M.A. in Latin American and border studies, both from the University of Texas at El Paso. Toya’s research interests include public health, immigrant women in the border region, policymaking processes and the mechanisms used to further the protection of human rights– not only in the United States or Mexico, but across the world.

Toya worked in the Texas Senate as a Luna Fellow during the 88th Regular Legislative Session in Austin. She served as a legislative aide in the office of Senator José Menéndez of San Antonio, and later in the office of Senator Cesar Blanco of El Paso. She was hired by the International Food Research Institute for a summer project looking at gender dynamics within the production of coffee in an indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico. 

During graduate school, Toya was able to work in Washington, D.C. through the Archer Fellowship Program, where she focused her efforts on immigration policy, specifically on the harmful effects of the ‘Migrant Protection Protocols/Remain in Mexico’ policy. She also spent assisting those applying for citizenship at the Central American Resource Center in DC. 

Toya is a wicked smart, joyful, defiant, compassionate presence on our team and we can’t believe how lucky we are to work with her.