Born in Brooklyn, NY, she became fascinated with documenting her surroundings early on through video cameras and journals. Castillo is the creator of Bodega Stories, a multimedia project featuring real stories and portraits of people who frequent the bodega, a beloved space. She holds degrees from the University of South Florida and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Miami Herald, Fusion, Latina Magazine and more. Castillo loves photography, spoken word poetry and immersing herself in other cultures. More of Castillo’s work can be found on her website AmarisCastillo.com.