Prior to joining Seven Days, Tompkins reported on housing issues as a freelance reporter in New York City, and for the Texas Tribune. She worked for The New York Times as a national reporting fellow and later on their Headway team. Before that, she spent two years in Berlin on a Fulbright fellowship, where she studied international asylum policy and interviewed Syrian migrants about their experiences in Germany. She started her career as an education reporter at The Missoulian, where she led an investigation into private residential treatment programs for teenagers that led to changes in state law and the closure of many of the programs. She speaks Spanish and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana.
Beat: Vermont's Immigrant and refugee communities and life along the northern border
When refugees and immigrants from countries such as Somalia, Bosnia, Vietnam, Nepal and Afghanistan settle in Vermont, it's typically in the Burlington area, close to jobs, housing and services. This reporter will develop sources in these communities and report on members' lives, struggles and successes in one of the most homogeneous states in the nation. This reporter will also cover issues relating to the state's population of undocumented migrant farm workers from Central and South America who are the backbone of Vermont's iconic dairy industry. This reporter will also spend time in the towns along the northern border and will track expected deportation efforts under the new administration.