I am a proud third-generation Mexican-American/Chicana Chicagoan and first-generation college student. I have roots/grew up in neighborhoods like Humboldt Park, Little Village, and Logan Square. My background has encompassed multiple areas—teaching, community engagement, academia, and journalism (multimedia, community-centered, and/or arts & culture specializations)—all of which reinforce my ambitions in contributing to storytelling and/or research that tangibly aligns with the community and brings forth stories and histories not told or not told enough in more nuanced ways.

  I was the first to combine journalism and Latina/Latino studies as a dual degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I also participated in the first bilingual student news broadcast in Tucson while completing a Master's in Bilingual Journalism at the University of Arizona (UA). Engaged in journalism for about 6 years, I have served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for two college chapters. Additionally, I have created stories in both long and short-form styles for news outlets or independent productions like my audio and documentary work.

Having trained within Ethnic Studies, I truly value an interdisciplinary approach of exploring different perspectives and seeing how particular areas can intertwine or inform each other (art, gender, politics, education, etc.) I find that the interdisciplinary approach I was trained on is what can truly evoke empathy within the diverse tapestry of various communities, and with certain topics that are not so black and white. This is reflected in my previous work and research, for example: An undergraduate IRB-approved thesis done in a long-form journalistic style and a mini-documentary master's project (complemented with an interactive website with the research condensed and a map). Both of these pieces were about Latinx artists, muralists, and/or journalists in the Midwest-  specifically in areas like Champaign and Chicago.