Noel Rojo is a photographer and journalist fellow with the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. Noel was born in the northern state of Chihuahua, Mexico, where he was raised till the age of eight, before moving and settling in Denver, Colorado, USA. After some time in Bratislava, Slovakia, he now resides in Oaxaca, Mexico.

As a migrant, identity issues have always been in the forefront of his life. Though he didn’t always view it as a positive thing, due to the confusion it caused him, with time he has learned to embrace it as a sort of continuous mestizaje. This view has allowed him to see the world not only in the duality of black and white, but in a plurality of many shades. He applies the same view to photography and can often be seen in his use of symbolism; going beyond technicality, photography for him has been a way to capture the human condition, including his, in as many shades as he can.

Noel has been traveling across the world with a journalist and now wife, Magdalena Rojo, for the past five years, working mainly on migration and environmental issues. Three years ago he co-founded the global multi-media project Women Who Stay, which explores the topic of migration from the perspective of those who stay behind.

Noel has been published in various international media outlets, such as News Deeply, Deutsche Welle, Friends of Friends, and national media in Slovakia, Czechia, and the U.S.

Noel’s work has also been featured in various expositions across Slovakia and the Czech Republic.