My story begins in Mexico, and it includes a goodbye to my visabuela Bertita, one of the women who raised me, and the rest of my abuelos, tias and cousins. Once in L.A., I grew up undocumented, reading headlines in the LA Times about “illegal aliens” and the immigrant community. That type of rhetoric stirred a passion in me to showcase what the immigrant community is really about; “ganas.” 

Years later —in high school— I discovered journalism as an avenue to represent my community fairly and accurately. That’s what I chose and I’ve stuck with it.

It took two internships in Washington, D.C. and a few years in public media to get to my dream job at the time. I walked into the LA Times building in downtown LA as a digital editor in July 2015. There, I assisted the news team that won the 2016 Pultizer for Breaking News. This immigrant queer kid from Mexico-L.A. was writing the headlines that he once admired in newsprint.

For almost three years, I oversaw all things digital at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, California. I also led social for several USA TODAY Network sites on the West Coast. At The Desert Sun, I come up with ideas to engage with digital audiences and work with journalists to expand their reach.