Graduation: MS Data Visualization at Parsons School of Design

In May, I obtained a master’s degree in Data Visualization from Parsons School of Design - The New School, one of the world’s leading schools of design.

During a keynote presentation, I showcased my thesis on the slow but steady return of tourists in Venezuela after years of isolation. Using different methods such as web scraping and archive research, I analyzed over 8,000 flight arrivals to Venezuela since 2013 and combined the results with interviews and maps created with QGIS.

Graduation: MS in Journalism at Columbia Journalism School.

Despite the challenges of moving to New York City and studying a full degree during a pandemic, I was able to acquire new skills in Journalism. I learned how to tell stories using different tools and software, and got to meet so many talented young journalists in class.

At Columbia, I worked on written and video projects on immigration, the US criminal justice system, the impact of the pandemic on funeral homes, the foster care system and local businesses in Harlem. I also did a 10-minute video on Venezuelan political asylum seekers in the US.

As part of my master’s thesis, I spent five months photographing and interviewing people who were formerly incarcerated to document the long-term effects of solitary confinement.

It still feels surreal that this chapter is over. I spent nine years of my life dreaming about this program at Columbia.

Today, I am grateful to everyone who helped me get here, from my friends in Amsterdam helped me write my application for months to my family who supported me every step of the way.

Thank you and congrats to the Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2021!

Graduation: Bachelor's degree from the University of Amsterdam

My journey in Amsterdam has ended. I am glad to share that I have successfully graduated from the University of Amsterdam in Communication Science, with an 8/10 in my thesis "The Role of the Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic".

In the past three years, I joined several student associations (Study Association Mercurius, ISN Amsterdam - Erasmus Student Network, UNICEF Nederland), but more importantly, I founded the independent student-run newspaper The Amsterdammer.

I also did a Summer internship at La Silla Vacia in Bogota, and two internships at the photo agency NOOR Images. On top of that, I was able to volunteer at the UNSEEN festival, the International Journalism Festival and at the World Press Photo festival.

I was able to grow both in an individual and professional way. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that living in Amsterdam brought me and the people I was able to meet during my bachelor's.

Due to the pandemic, I will be moving in January 2021 to New York City instead of in Fall to continue my studies at the Columbia Journalism School.

If you are interested in reading about my research project as part of my graduation thesis, you can visit its dedicated website: