US- What part of Turlock
did you grow up in and what schools did you attend?
AS- I grew up in the West Side of Turlock,
close to the fairgrounds. I lived there for fifteen
years. It was the poorer part of town but had a lot
of character to it. I actually went to school on the
east side of town. I went to Sacred Heart Catholic School
which is a private school. My mom worked there as a
yard duty which meant we got a very big discount off
the tuition. If my mom didn’t work there, we wouldn’t
have been able to afford it. Osborn school was only
a block away but my parents wanted the best opportunities
for me and I appreciate that they did that for me.
US - Do you have a
specific territory that you cover or do you go where
the news takes you?
AS - I usually cover Stanislaus County
and San Joaquin County. I usually stay around Stanislaus
County because this is where I was born and raised.
The news never came down here and there was good stuff
happening in Turlock and the Modesto area. It was kind
of unfortunate that the news room was located in Sacramento
because that meant that the only time they would make
their way down here is when something bad happened.
When they offered me the job, they asked me if I wanted
to cover part of the Sacramento area. I told them no
and that I wanted to cover the Stanislaus area because
I can bring them good stories and segments. It got to
the point where when I got a story in Sacramento, they
would tell me no, stay down there.
US - Do you have to
find your own stories?
AS - 90% of the stories, I find myself.
It’s a little difficult because it’s not
just finding a story; we want it to be fun active and
different as possible. I do a minimum of 3 segments
a day, which are usually about 3 different stories.
Not only is it difficult to find the stories, but it’s
also difficult moving to each one between segments.
A lot of breaking down and setting up. You’re
constantly moving.
US - At what age did
you realize that you wanted to be a journalist?
AS - Ever since I was 5 years old,
I wanted to be a news reporter. I always admired reporters
when I watched them on TV. When my parents would punish
me for being bad, they would tell me that I couldn’t
watch the news. I kind of discounted myself because
I always thought that being from the poor side of town,
I couldn’t afford college. Because I thought that
way, I started college really late (in age). I didn’t
major in journalism. I went to become a Pharmacy Technician.
I did take a TV class. That exposed me to an actual
college TV studio. They had made an announcement that
they need people to run the camera, audio, and all the
other technical stuff to run a show. I didn’t
know how to do any of that technical stuff. This project
was supposed to be a college talk show. The last position
available was a talk show host. I told them to let me
try that. I think I can do that. After doing that for
about 30 minutes, I thought to myself, this is it. This
is what I’m going to put all my time into. I am
going to become a news reporter.
US - Did anybody play
a role in influencing your career decision?
AS - My Grandfather taught me passion
and hard work. It’s been a rocky road. If it wasn’t
for his teachings, I would have never gotten through
the days when you fall on your face and start thinking
that you should get out of the business.
US - Where do you see yourself in 5
years?
AS - I wrote down one time that I wanted
to be on Good Day Sacramento by the time I was 33 years
old. I got the job when I was 24. So now I would like
to further my career and work towards becoming an anchor
someday. I don’t want to say that I’ve made
it right now. I want to learn more about the business
and my profession. I want to continue to work hard until
one day an opportunity will open up for me.
US - So at what point
in your career, do you say, I’ve made it?
AS - I hope I never say that. I never
want to say that this is as good as I’m ever going
to get. I want to keep moving forward. At the same time,
I’m enjoying the ride. I’m having a good
time and meeting some wonderful people. Can you imagine
waking up excited about going to work?! The excitement
feels like when you’re a kid going to Disneyland
the next day. I’m constantly saying, I can’t
wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!
US - You guys do look
like you have a lot of fun on the show.
AS - We’re crazy. There is no
other station like ours. Not only in Sacramento but
the nation. Stations from other states will record our
show and play it for their news teams hoping that they’ll
act like us. What makes ours so different is that we’re
real. We’re not trying to be crazy. It’s
just how we are. We like to have a lot of fun. When
I report, I make it about the people. It’s not
about me. I’m blessed to be on TV. You can be
the best reporter in the world. You can talk very well,
have great information, and look very well on TV but……..
If people like you, that all doesn’t matter. Take
me for example. I’m not the best reporter. I stutter
sometimes and get distracted on TV, but I don’t
make it about myself. I make it about the people. That
is one of the reasons why I’ve been successful.
US - What advice would
you give a young aspiring journalist out their in helping
them land their dream job?
AS - You need to be willing to do more
than the previous person that was in your position.
And do the job because you love it. If someone offered
me a hundred million dollar, tax free, I would still
be working for Good Day Sacramento because I love it.
When I started, I did it for six months for free. It
was hard because I was still working another job and
going to school. But I loved it and had a passion for
it.
US - I noticed that
you’ve made some public appearances, including
hosting some local events. Where will your next appearance
be?
AS - I’ve been doing a lot of
charity events which has been very fun. I never really
thought of myself as a celebrity, because I don’t
think that way. Me being on TV have opened up a lot
of opportunities to host charity events. I do have an
event coming up. You guys will be the first to know.
The Harlem Globetrotters gave me a call. They invited
me to play against them on the 19th of January at Arco
Arena. They always play against the Washington Generals
which is who I will be playing for. This is really going
to be cool because I used to watch them on TV when I
was young. Now I’m going to be playing on the
same court as them!
