I came to the Grand Canyon State in 2005 to intern at The Arizona Republic and never left! After my time at the newspaper, I switched careers and worked in the non-profit sector at organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and The Boys & Girls Club. I live in a Phoenix suburb with my husband, Brian, and our twins, Justice and Joy, 7. I'm a part-time bilingual preschool teacher and love watching my students grow. Although I'm no longer in journalism, I have so much respect for our community watchdogs, especially now that misinformation is rampant. I am so thankful to the Chips Quinn program for connecting me with an amazing class. The friendships with my fellow Chipsters are invaluable to me.

Erik Lacayo is a Title VI Program Analyst for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. After spending a summer with the Chips Quinn program, he worked for The Fresno Bee for several years before attending law school at the University of Denver in Colorado. Following law school, Erik began working for the State of Colorado in its Office of Civil Rights. In both his state role and now with DOT, Erik ensures that transportation development and access are free from discrimination, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Erik credits his Chips Quinn experience with helping him meet the love of his life, Vanessa, whom he admires for her vast intellect and beauty. Together, they have three boys: Nicolas, Mateo, and Miguel.

- My CQ internship was in Abilene, Tx at the Abilene Reporter News. It was in that town that I met my now husband. I continued to work at newspapers for almost ten years from the San Antonio Express-News to the Las Vegas Sun and even Spanish news, El Tiempo. I then transitioned to the “dark side” to work as a Public Information Officer. Most of my work has been in education consulting and advocacy. Currently I am the Communications Director for an education policy and advocacy non profit. I am married with three kids. I made life-long friends through Chips Quinn, met my husband thanks to Chips Quinn and although I no longer work as a journalist I continue to advocate and champion the work of the media and the service they provide to our community.

Victoria Sanchez just couldn’t stay away from Washington DC after the life changing summer of 2005. She works across the streendht from the original Freedom Forum, at WJLA ABC7 News and anchors the 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. newscasts.
In 2020, Sanchez was one of the only journalists allowed into one of the largest COVID hospital units in the Washington metro region. She was honored with an Emmy and Associated Press award for her coverage.
Sanchez joined the WJLA team in January 2018. Before heading to the East Coast, she worked in Denver at KUSA-TV as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Before Colorado, she was the weekend anchor and reporter at KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara, California. She began her news career in 2010 at KCOY-TV and KKFX-TV in Santa Maria, California.
Sanchez loves spending time with her 8-year-old daughter and husband. She also loves to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, cook with her daughter and explore DC.

Tony C. Yang enjoyed a great Chips Quinn Scholars summer (2005) at the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer. Afterwards, he completed a fall internship at the Chicago Tribune. He was called up to deploy to Iraq in 2007 with the U.S. Army. He then spent time as a tech reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal but the recession forced Tony to pivot to a federal job; he credits his short-lived journalism career with helping him land the position.
Tony met his wife in high school but reconnected later and were married in 2014. They have a son, Alex, who loves building Legos. Tony holds a B.S. degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University and is working on an MBA. When able, he likes running marathons and is currently an emergency manager for the Justice Dept in Virginia and is a First Sergeant (1SG/E8) with the Army Reserve.

Vanessa (Delgado) Lacayo works for the Bureau of Land Management in its Office of Communications. With the exception of two years spent as a spokesperson for the City of Denver, most of her tenure has been in public affairs within the Department of the Interior. She is especially proud of her work on legislation to protect natural resources and her community outreach efforts to expand access to recreation sites, particularly for low-income families. Prior to that, Vanessa worked for the Colorado State Legislature. She credits her short-lived journalism career with helping her discover her love for government work—as well as introducing her to her husband and fellow Chips Quinn Scholar, Erik Lacayo. Together, they have three boys: Nicolas, Mateo, and Miguel. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Master of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Colorado. Outside of work, she enjoys running and volunteering. She helped set up two nonprofit community organizations focused on youth mentorship and Latino outreach.

Where Are They Now