Both middle Americans and coastal journalists have proclaimed that the Heartland is uniquely kind. And both have oversimplified life here by doing so. — There’s a common idyllic narrative about the friendly folk of Middle America. We wave at strangers on the street. We shovel our elderly neighbor’s driveway. We welcome the new family at church with tater tot casserole. …

Learning about dinuguan helped me feel closer to my identity as a second-generation Filipino American — My first memory of dinuguan is of being introduced to it by another name: “chocolate meat,” a euphemism used by Filipino American immigrants to coax their children into trying the mysterious, darkly colored stew. Sitting around my grandparents’ kitchen table, my family watched expectantly as I took a meaty bite…

This story was written in 2017 for my Multimedia Storytelling class at the University of Iowa. IOWA CITY, Iowa — At the heart of gentrified downtown Iowa City is a scene that contrasts the area’s bustling of well-dressed professionals and university students in Patagonia jackets. On this cold October morning…

This story was written in 2017 for my Multimedia Storytelling class at the University of Iowa. IOWA CITY, Iowa — Over a year after Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, reminiscent political imagery permeates downtown Iowa City. While pedestrians in North Face jackets and Hawkeye sweatshirts have their…

“Yeah, I’m not for everyone,” says actress and writer Lena Dunham. That’s the title of a new profile about her for The Cut, which is both sympathetic to Dunham’s struggles and full of what some have called cringeworthy moments, like her explanation for her insensitive racial comments. Overall, the…

The following is a transcript for a podcast I recorded in December 2018. It was an assignment for my Cross-Platform Journalism Class at the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/isabella-rosario-969685290/mecfs-fibromyalgia-the-sexist-truth-about-contested-illnesses We all get sick sometimes and have to call our…

Airplane trips can be a pain for most people — long security lines, flight delays, lost luggage. But for passengers who use mobility aids, getting from point A to point B can be even more stressful. A lengthy Twitter thread has brought attention to a common but rarely discussed problem…

What role should the public play in science? This is the question asked by a recent episode of The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast. It discusses the controversial withdrawal of a review of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) treatments, nicknamed the PACE trial, published in the Cochrane Review. …

The trending hashtag #DoctorsAreDickheads is bringing attention to how doctors treat — or often mistreat — their patients. It all started last week with a video called “My Biggest Secret: I’m disabled.” from YouTuber Stevie Boebi. In the video, Boebi says she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic…