About My Humanitarian Storytelling Work

I am a Humanitarian Visual Storyteller and Photojournalist, focused on documenting the lives of elders, families, and communities across Guaymas, South Africa, and the United States.

Although I’m relatively new to formal humanitarian journalism, the path that brought me here has been decades in the making — beginning with an American/Sicilian upbringing that taught me to recognize and respect the diversity of the world around me; strengthened by the discipline of the Marine Corps; shaped through early photography in Japan; and refined during my editorial and lifestyle photography years in Los Angeles. Each step put a camera in my hand and a story in front of me.

My humanitarian work began in Spring 2021 with Penda Trust, a UK-based NGO serving underserved communities in South Africa. There, I photographed after-school programs that offered children a safe place, keeping them off the streets and away from drugs and gangs. The images I made helped support fundraising and build visibility for their work.

My storytelling continued with the Matthew 25 Ministry in Phoenix, where I assisted asylum seekers arriving with nothing more than what they carried. I helped provide fresh clothing, food, showers, and a moment of dignity — and learned what it means to witness people at their most vulnerable.

This path eventually brought me to CASA Franciscana Outreach, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which supports the Franciscan Mission in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. The Mission serves people facing hunger, poverty, illness, and isolation — and it is here that my work has deepened the most.

At the CASA, I serve on the Board of Directors, help guide fundraising efforts, and work as the Mission’s photographer and writer for donor communications. I develop the Mission’s campaign letters and newsletters, and I have begun traveling to Guaymas to spend time with the team and the communities they serve. Being present — listening, watching, and learning — allows me to photograph and write with accuracy, respect, and a grounded understanding of their lives.

Every assignment, every frame, and every conversation has prepared me for the work I’m doing now.

My full bio shares this journey in more detail, but ultimately:

   - My commitment is simple: photojournalism that documents people and the realities they live.

To learn more about who I am and how I arrived here, please visit my full bio.

Stay tuned for stories, photographs, and more..