As a journalist who can write essays, news features and service journalism across multiple beats, here are my favorites:

Essays About Identity

In Heritage Classes, The Spanish You Grew Up With Is Welcome
Written September 2021 for HuffPost
A feature on why Spanish heritage programs offer acceptance and belonging to those who want to reclaim their family language.

Instant Replay
Written November 2016 for Real Life Magazine
I wrote about the power and trauma within a gif's loop. Cited by Wired Magazine as an “excellent essay.”

Majoring in English
Written March 2013 for The Feminist Wire
Winner of the Dunbar Student Prize for Best Campus Writing at Williams College
An essay on my complicated relationship with English and why I sign my name Monica, not Mónica.

Features On Breaking News Stories

Should Child Acting Just Be Banned Already?
Written February 2023 for HuffPost
By interviewing ex-child actors who are pushing to change work conditions for the next generation and examining the cracks in current protections on set, this investigative article makes the case that positioning child acting labor as "exceptional" has never been in the actual best interest of child actors.

This Anti-Immigrant Ad Is Making People Really Mad – And It's Causing A Growing Movement
Spotify boycotters told me why they are quitting the platform over a dehumanizing anti-immigrant ad.

The Unexpected Costs Of Gun Violence That Brown School Shooting Survivors Must Pay
“At the moment, you don’t care what anything’s going to cost ... and then the bills start to roll in,” one parent of a school shooting survivor told me.

Meet the Spanish Interpreter Who's Making History at This Year's World Series
Written October 2016 for Fusion
In 2016, Major League Baseball mandated Spanish-language interpreters for all of its teams and I reported the story. 

Service Journalism About Civil Liberties

Why You Can (And Should) Opt Out Of TSA’s Facial Recognition
This was one of my most popular 2025 stories that was cited by other outlets. The article also includes a video I made with the audience team where I summarize key takeaways.

Quick-Turn Conversation Starters About Health And Wellness

What We Get Wrong About Death, According To End-Of-Life Workers
Written April 2023 for HuffPost
Palliative care and hospice professionals shared with me what dying is like and the biggest misunderstandings families have about it.

This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Hate Your Job
Written January 2019 for HuffPost
A short yet effective explainer that is perhaps my most-read HuffPost article to-date with over 4 million views.

These 4 Pairs Forged Friendships At Work — Despite Big Age Gaps
Written March 2021 for HuffPost
Age can be a boundary in getting to know a co-worker on a deeper level, but it doesn’t have to be.

How Pet Owners Helped Their Dying Pets Have Good 'Last Days'
Written June 2023 for HuffPost
The one story where I recommend reading the comments, because they will move you.

How To Master ‘The Swivel’ And Redirect Your Co-worker’s Nosy Health Questions
June 2019 for HuffPost
Helpful advice I learned from attending a cancer conference.

How People Are Using Gifs to Get Off
Written April 2017 for High-Strung
An essay on how women are reclaiming their sexual desires from an industry that ignores them. Aka, how women are swapping sex gifs as party favors in participatory online porn culture