• The kindest people on earth

    (Originally written on September 2, 2014) This month is the beginning of a very full life for me; tomorrow, I start working on my Master’s degree. On top of working two jobs, full time graduate school is daunting. For weeks,

  • Truth, integrity and justice

    I decided to pursue journalism after spending 18 months working toward a position with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2018, when investigations targeting Russian interference in the 2016 election had led to heightened animosity toward federal law enforcement agencies

  • Finding silver linings

    (This article also appeared at The Express) As a child, Andrea Lunetta would spend a week every summer with her aunt in San Ramon, California, where they would do artistic things like make jewelry together. When she recalled these times,

  • Whole and complete yet broken

    My work is a 15-minute walk from the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento, California, and when I went to work as an essential employee April 20, I didn’t expect for the Reopen California protests happening that day to make

  • Finding our Muse

    Around our first wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided that we wanted a dog. After successfully a houseplant alive for most of that year, we joked that a puppy would be the next step in the natural progression of

  • One mother’s bravery

    (This article also appeared at The Express) “If you ever decide to start smoking weed, let me know,” my mom beamed. I was sitting on a barstool on one side of the kitchen counter while my mom sat across from