Veteran2-Playbill23

THE
CAST
VICTOR TAFOYA RODRIGUEZ (HE/HIM)
US MARINE CORPS, 2003-2009
Raised in a small, rural town in central Mexico, Victor is a first
generation immigrant and English learner. California has been his
home since 1997. At 17, he joined the military and went to boot camp
in January 2003; by then, he was 18. After graduating high school
and having no guidance on pursuing a college education, he joined
the United States Marine Corps to gain a life experience of service,
confidence, and, eventually, the benefit of an education program that
would help him pursue a college degree. Serving with the US Marine
Corps, he deployed in 2007 with Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving
as a reservist with the US Military, Victor came across an opportunity
for an internship at a local television station in Sacramento. He
recently graduated from Sacramento State University with a degree
in intercultural communications. As a veteran and a journalist with
over 15 years in the field, he brings an array of experience that he
hopes can motivate others with similar backgrounds, both veterans
and first generation immigrants.
While working at ABC 10 in Sacramento, California, the pandemic
didn’t stop many families from going to work. The idea of “work never
stops” is all but tattooed in the minds of many first generation and
immigrant families. He realized he could help to provide a caution
message due to the pandemic, not only in their native language but
also at a cultural level. California communities not only need support
in translating information into a language they understand, but they
also find themselves in diverse cultural codes that must be adapted
for a community to react. Today, Victor wants to work on supporting
his community of veterans and immigrant families who need someone
to talk to and give a stage to their stories. Follow along with Victor on
Instagram at @victortafoya.
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