Investigative reporter covering criminal justice, marginalized groups, and religion.
Writing on music, business, health, politics, and religion.
Nationally acclaimed performer writing about gender, black Judaism, mental instability, and religion.
I’m a staff writer for a Catholic publication even though I’m not Catholic and my master’s degree is in international religions. I’ve written for Jewish and Muslim publications, and like to cover the intersection of faith, race and justice.
I’m a mixed Indian-Filipina American and was raised with three different religions: Catholicism, Hinduism and Sikhism. I previously taught English in Japan for two years, where I produced “Shizuoka Speaks,” a grant-funded podcast series exploring how globalization is changing immigration and education in Asia. It looked specifically at how this manifested in racism and diversity issues in the city of Shizuoka, Japan, and currently lives on through its Facebook page.
I update that with relevant links as I come across them, but most of my cultural headspace these days goes to India, where I’ve been freelance reporting since 2013. I’m based in the city of Lucknow, a much more “typical” Indian city than the international destinations of say Delhi or Mumbai. Not too many foreigners live here, and it’s not really the kind of place where travelers or even Indians from bigger cities would like to stay for a long time because it doesn’t have the same offerings as larger metropolitan areas. That being said, it’s a much more immersive reporting experience. I’ve done a range of stories from here, and whereas last year I reported a lot of stories on politics, religion and the relationship between the two (a very volatile topic in northern India), this year I’ve been looking closer at stories concerning gender and sexuality, whether it relates to women, masculinity or LGBTQ issues, and trying to branch out of the state where I’m based.
My “day” job as a freelancer is being the editorial assistant for the website PBS MediaShift, where I produce and report stories on online publishing, media and digital culture.
Accolades: Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, Finalist, 2012; Newswomen’s Club of New York Front Page Award for Radio Feature, 2012; Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Grant Recipient, 2011; Scripps Howard Grant Recipient for religion reporting abroad, 2008.
Sabrina Vourvoulias is the managing editor of Al Día News in Philadelphia. She was the editor of Al Día’s book, 200 Years of Latino History in Philadelphia (Temple University Press, 2012) and is the moderator of the organization’s “Media and the City” panel series on representations of race, ethnicity, gender and identity in news media.
Keystone Press Award
2015 – Editorial – Division V – Second Place
• We call bulls*** on the SRC • When a young Latino dies in our city, there is only silence • Clickbait xenophobia
Keystone Press Award
2015 – Ongoing News Coverage – Division V – Second Place
• ‘Who comes to a peace concert with a gun?’ Alex Guevara’s sister speaks to AL DÍA • Eyewitness to Alex Guevara’s shooting at peace concert speaks to AL DÍA • Police release photo of suspect in Alex Guevara shooting death • When a young Latino dies in our city, there is only silence
José Martí Awards, National Association of Hispanic Publications
2014 – Outstanding Editorial Column (in English)
Gold award.
She is the author of Ink (Crossed Genres, 2012), a novel that draws on her memories of Guatemala’s armed internal conflict, and of the Latin@ experience in the United States. It was named to Latinidad’s Best Books of 2012.