Here are some of my favorite stories.
Peruse at your leisure.
A Rebellion Against Silence
Published With The Immigrant Story
Sindy Avila-Gutierrez looks back undaunted on her life as an undocumented immigrant. “I’ve always been a rebel in that way,” she says. “You tell me I can’t do something and I will work harder to prove you wrong.”
Art and Life: Trusting the Process
Published With The Immigrant Story
Mauricio Villarreal, co-founder of the design firm PLACE, takes a pragmatic approach to daily existence. “Life just happens,” he reasons, “and I don’t overthink it.”To him, community and prosperity are essential aspects of life that can be influenced by anyone but should be allowed to occur naturally.
Finding Identity in Resilience
Published with the Immigrant Story
Looking back on the many changes in her life, Sara Houranpay likes to quote her father’s advice: “When life throws you down, you get up, dust yourself off, and keep on trucking. You have no other choice.”
A Sex Industry Deprived of Intimacy: How Portland Sex Work and Education is Adapting to the Pandemic
Portland slammed into lockdown on March 23, 2020, with Governor Kate Brown’s stay-at-home order. Businesses like strip clubs that rely almost entirely on physical intimacy got swept away by the pernicious current of the pandemic: members of Portland’s rapidly blossoming sex industry scattered to the wind.
Latina Business Incubator Builds Cultural Community in the Heart of Forest Grove
Casa Qui opened its doors on Dec. 4, 2020, under Adelante Mujeres, a nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering and supporting Latinx women in the Forest Grove and Cornelius areas, offering artisanal goods handmade by local Latina business owners.
Plant Nurseries: The Only Industry Thriving Through COVID-19
Blooming Junction nursery has rarely seen a slow day since the start of the pandemic, making it unique amongst small businesses in Verboort, Forest Grove, and beyond. According to manager Ron Guilford, who has been the general manager at Blooming Junction since 2013, nurseries are one of the few businesses that actually see growth in the event of a pandemic.
University Collaboration to Debut New Makerspace
At the beginning of Pacific’s Fall 2019 Semester, the Boxer Makerspace was still under construction and remained a mystery to all students. I ventured inside to interview Dr. Andy Soria, Director of the Berglund Center at Pacific and Isaac Gilman, Director of Libraries to discover what this revolutionary workspace would offer students.
Print-only Works
Here are some additional print-only works that I enjoyed making. Feel free to contact me for copies.
Education and Immigration: Stories from Gen-Z and Millennial Immigrant Voices
Senior Capstone Zine 2023
My senior captsone project at Pacific was a self-published zine distributed across the Portland-Metro area. The zine featured two in-depth profiles from college students with undocumented immigration statuses who are working their way toward a degree, as well as information about programs that supported them.
Pacific Magazine
Fall 2021-Summer 2023
During my time at Pacific, I worked as an editorial and online content intern for Pacific University’s Marketing and Communications Department. In the position, I wrote, edited, and helped to publish content for the magazine, mainly class notes and obituaries for alumni.