Amaris E. Rodriguez is the Independent’s co-managing editor and opinions editor. She is a senior at NEIU pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in journalism.

Rodriguez first developed a passion for journalism in her “Into to Journalism” class, which led to becoming a staff writer for online music blog, Musiqtone, in 2012. During her time at Musiqtone, she has interviewed bands such as The Ataris, David Cook, Mayday Parade and many more.

Aside from writing for the newspaper, Rodriguez enjoys creative writing, songwriting, movies, reading a good young adult novel and random road trips with no actual destination.

Rodriguez has played her original songs at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee, and other open mic locations throughout the Chicago area.

She hopes to pursue a career as a journalist, win the coveted Pulitzer Prize and have her own work on the New York Times’ “Bestseller List.”

She is currently working on her creative writing. To read her poetry, visit her Instagram page: @alittle­_biggerpoetry.