Although Monica Lewinsky became a household name in 1998 due to the revelation of her affair with President Bill Clinton and the subsequent media circus surrounding the scandal, few know Lewinsky’s personal story. For example, it’s hardly common knowledge that Monica Lewinsky is a Latina. Her father, Bernard Lewinsky, was born in El Salvador and emigrated to the U.S. when he was 14 years old. As a daughter of a Latin American immigrant, Lewinsky’s appointment to the White House was especially important to her family–a culmination of the American Dream her father had fantasized about when he moved to the U.S.

In light of the changing attitude towards Lewinsky’s role in the affair with President Bill Clinton and her current occupation as an anti-bullying activist, we decided to explore the little-known life of Monica Lewinsky. Read on to discover both her life before and after the pivotal affair that made her famous.

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