Chicanx Latinx Art and Artists: Cassandra Giraldo

Cassandra Giraldo is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker known for her work covering juvenile justice, mental health, education, and coming of age. She is currently a story producer for Vox Media and contributes to various publications, like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as a freelance newspaper photographer.

Biography

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Cassandra now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Cassandra received her first camera in high school and has been empowered by photography ever since. She found that photography has given her a voice and an alternative means to communicate, and this has inspired her to continue her pursuits in photo education projects and work with underserved youth.

She graduated from Skidmore College in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and French after which she completed the Photojournalism and Documentary Studies program at the International Center of Photography in 2012. After her studies at the ICP, she began freelancing at The Brooklyn Paper, which served as a pivotal starting point in her career as a photojournalist. Her drive ultimately led her to work as a contributing photographer for The Wall Street Journal. During her general assignment work as a full-time freelancer, she also pursued personal projects that fed her passion for youth stories and education. In 2015, Cassandra went on to pursue a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School's Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism where she received the Elaine Exton scholarship in advanced education reporting.

Notable Works

After School Project

This is an ongoing series on Instagram (@afterschoolproject) where Cassandra illustrates how urban youth spend their time outside when they are not with their parents or teachers. This project was recognized as an exceptional finalist in the Getty Images Inaugural Instagram grant (2015), awarded The Education week award at the Eddie Adams Workshop XVIII (2015), a finalist in the Lucie Foundation Emerging Scholarship (2016), and in publications including The Guardian, Vice, and I-D Magazine.