Victoria De Anda was born and raised in the city of Juárez, Mexico, bordering El Paso, Texas. She has a B.A. in anthropology with a minor in political science, and recently graduated from the M.A. program in Latin America and border studies from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has over three years of research experience on projects related to healthcare access, public health, and immigrant women in the border region. In addition to her academic background, she is involved in community engagement activities and leadership positions on both sides of the border. Victoria is highly interested in understanding the policymaking processes and mechanisms used to further the protection of human rights not only in the United States or Mexico but across the world.
She was selected as a Luna Fellow for the 88th Regular Legislative Session in Austin Texas to be a legislative aide under the office of Senator José Menéndez of San Antonio. Her main duties included writing briefing memos, white papers, floor speeches, and policy analysis for any bills related to the border security and state affairs committees. After the session, she was hired by the International Food Research Institute to work as a research consultant for a project looking at gender dynamics within the production of coffee in an indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico for the summer. Upon her return, she was hired to work in the office of Senator César J. Blanco from El Paso, first as a District Representative in El Paso, and then as a Policy Analyst in the Capitol office. She analyzed bills, made policy recommendations, wrote policy briefs, staffed the Senator in the Border Security Committee and had meetings with lobbyists, stakeholders, and constituents.
In the summer of 2022, Victoria worked in Washington, D.C. through the Graduate Archer Fellowship Program, where she focused her policy recommendations on immigration policy, specifically on the ‘Migrant Protection Protocols/Remain in Mexico’ policy. In addition, she interned at the Central American Resource Center, where she assisted individuals applying for their citizenship as well as preparing materials used for the citizenship workshops provided by the organization.