Reporter

Multimedia Journalist (MMJ)

Welcome to my website! 

I am happy to announce that this October I'll be joining WPLG-Local 10 in Miami as a general assignment reporter.

Right now we are on our cross-country trip to Miami. Local10.com is tracking our adventure! You can read our travel blog and see our latest pictures and video clips by clicking here.

It is an exciting new chapter in my life both professionally and personally. Miami is my hometown!

Have any tips for traveling with an infant? Please share in the contact page!

Part of what makes life so exciting are the changes and developments you do not anticipate.  Like my grandfather Andrew Vazquez says, “If you knew what would happen next, life would be so boring.”

A little more about me:
The catchy last name might not give it away but I am a second-generation Cuban-American from Miami, FL. I married Mark Boomer from Hingham, MA, a seaside community just over 15 miles from Boston.  

After graduating from Boston College in 1999 with a political science degree, I pursued documentary filmmaking. I interned with filmmaker David Sutherland for about a year.  I learned so much from him.  Most notably the power and importance of using natural sound to bring a viewer into a story.  I admire anyone who has the passion, courage, and tenacity to dedicate their lives to the art of documentary filmmaking.

I discovered that I wanted to be an advocate for the public in a different form of visual storytelling: broadcast news. I like covering a range of topics. I revel in the fast-paced nature of broadcast news, the adrenaline of working against the clock to make air, and the nearly immediate impact a story can have each and every day.  

I soon landed an internship with CNN’s Boston Bureau where I met Fran Fifis (producer), Bill Delaney (correspondent) and Bob Crowley (photographer).  I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with some of the best in the business so early in my career. They taught me lessons I still apply in my work today.

My first fulltime job was as an associate producer at WPRI/WNAC in Providence, Rhode Island.  At the time the city’s mayor, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, was facing several criminal charges in a public corruption investigation named “Operation Plunder Dome”. The station developed a half hour show dedicated to coverage of his trial. They needed an extra hand to help them with the additional workload and that’s how I got my job. My managers at the time, News Director Gary Brown and Assistant News Director Karen Rezendes, played a large role in helping me appreciate the importance of local news in our society.

After the trial came to its end, I transitioned into a producer role and eventually took over the 10pm newscast. 

Eventually I decided I wanted to try my hand at reporting.  My first “gig” was at KMIR in Palm Springs, CA.  I was also in California working as an associate producer at KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles.

I then landed a fulltime reporter job at KVIA in El Paso.  That “west Texas town” is one of the most profound and enriching experiences in my career.  Due to its proximity to the border I covered many immigration and bi-national issues. I also frequently reported from Juarez, Mexico.  While I was there long-standing Anchor Gary Warner was still on the desk.  He was a newsman from the days when people took time to tell stories and everyone knew to check more than one source before putting something on the air.  He was a role model who always made sure we remembered that it is better to be right than to be first. The people of El Paso are full of warmth and generosity.  I will always treasure my time there.  

From El Paso I traveled just over 400 miles west along I-10 to Phoenix, AZ. For four years I worked at KNXV-ABC15 as a reporter and then as a multimedia journalist (MMJ). The entire station transitioned to MMJs in March of 2009.  

At KNXV I learned a new skill set which included shooting my own video.  I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to acquire new technical abilities while developing a better understanding of the importance of having a presence on various platforms to include social media.  While the change was challenging, it was fun exploring new ways of bringing information to our viewers and gaining more control over the storytelling process.

There is so much I will miss about the Valley of the Sun. The exquisite Sonoran Desert with its majestic saguaros and breathtaking sunsets; the smell of the creosote bush after a Monsoon rain and prickly pear margaritas! But most of all I will miss my colleagues at ABC15. It takes a lot of teamwork and compassion to pull-off a stationwide MMJ newsgathering model. Each of us owes our success to individual tenacity paired with peer support.

Have fun exploring this website.  If you have any questions or want more information on a story you see posted contact me through my website.