For years, I tried to make New York work. I had done everything by the book — pun intended. I always knew I wanted to write, but I made English my minor purposely. I decided to study marketing, not just to be more marketable and have a variety of options in the workplace, but because as an aspiring author, I knew it couldn’t hurt to have that extra tool in my box.

Last year, I shared my story of struggle and perseverance at USA Today Network’s Storytellers.

Shortly thereafter, I had an epiphany of sorts and decided to segue back into marketing for several reasons. One day, I’ll share that story, but, for now, I’m grateful for the mix of experiences I’ve acquired along the way…

Idylwild is a “little paradise.” Residents wait to see the Cranston Fire’s damage. (The Desert Sun)

Magnitude 4.4 earthquake shakes Southern California (USA TODAY NETWORK)

New Palm Springs billboard aims to solve killing of Jiu-Jitsu studio owner Ramon Diaz (The Desert Sun)

Gavin Newsom hosts town hall in Palm Springs: 'We'll get through Trump' (The Desert Sun)

Official Latino Film and Arts Festival represents women in filmmaking (The Desert Sun)

I Don’t Want Children (HuffPost) — went viral: 37K+ Facebook likes

On-camera Interview: The Real co-host Adrienne Bailon (LatinTRENDS)

On-camera Interview: Henry Santos, Natti Natasha & others (LatinTRENDS)

On-camera news package: #DropYoSelfie, social media initiative to feed the homeless in NYC (BronxNET)