Jacqueline Salazar Romo is a first-generation UCI Literary Journalism alum and avid creative, being passionate about writing and illustration ever since she can remember. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Jacqueline immigrated to the United States with her family at ten years old in search of better opportunities and economic advancement. Her lived experience as not only a first-gen immigrant and college graduate, but also as a queer Latina trying to come to terms with having multiple identities to juggle, has greatly shaped her perspective and projects, as she hopes to be a vocal advocate for marginalized and underrepresented voices and to bring difficult but important conversations to mainstream audiences. She received her Bachelor of Arts in 2023 and has since explored various other fields, from data analytics to marketing to public health, but always ends up returning to her creative projects. She hopes to continue learning and pursuing her lifelong aspiration of being a fulfilled author-illustrator.