Monica Velez

Hi, my name is Monica Velez and for about a year I've been reporting on health in the Central Valley for the Merced Sun-Star, a daily newspaper in Merced, California. I've been focusing on access to care and provider shortages and how they impact the community, especially low-income and undocumented individuals. Recently, I've been looking into how the health care system in place create barriers to care. I grew up in San Bruno, a town about 15 minutes south of San Francisco, with two Salvadorean-raised parents and an older brother. After graduating from high school I moved to the states capitol to study journalism and creative writing at Sacramento State University. At my college newspaper is where I had my first experience being a reporter for the State Hornet, where I covered the arts and culture. Soon after graduating college I interned for an online news publication in Davis, the Davis Vanguard, where I covered court cases at the Yolo Superior Courthouse.