Mariana Atencio says her role as a journalist is to “make people care.” Finding the facts is not enough for her; she has to establish an emotional connection between the subject and the viewer. And perhaps these emotionally raw narratives are the secret to her success.
Mariana was born in Venezuela and, after a staring at death in the eyes, moved to the US in 2008 to advance her career in journalism. Like many, she thought setting foot in this country guaranteed success. However, she soon learned it would take a lot of hard work for her to reach her goal of making it to mainstream TV. Still, she realized that to hold on to her passion and navigate the rough waters that came with it, she had to be true to herself.
Having learned to embrace the power of being real, Mariana published her book “Perfectly You” last month. This personal account of the author’s life is an inspiring tale for both immigrants and journalists. She brings the reader along her journey and shares her most intimate thoughts at her highest highs and lowest lows. But through it all, her resilience stands out and the reader is happy to learn she conquered her spot in front of the TV.
Mariana employs her first-generation Latina perspective to not only uncover stories that are interesting to a wider audience, but also report them deservingly. As you read her book, look for the following quotes:
- “Instead of standing in front of the Capitol building…”
- “[No] other English-language network understood the ground-breaking importance…”
- “I pushed hard, and finally the network agreed to send me…”
If you notice a theme, it is because there is one! They were all taken from different instances when Mariana dug deep into her personality and asked herself where the untold, overlooked, and (often) painful stories really were.
Letting your heart break demands courage. After learning about the tragic killing of her high school sweetheart, Mariana felt devastated and needed to mourn him. She put her pain into her work and helped write an article about it. After this heart-wrenching experience, Mariana vowed to both pour her heart into every story as if it were her own and leverage her opportunities to shine a light in dark circumstances.
Yet, out of all of Mariana’s stories, let us finish with her experience in Oak Island, North Carolina. It was August 2018 and she and her team were on the ground reporting on Hurricane Florence. Suddenly, they found themselves trapped in the island without a place to stay.
One man she interviewed, Paul, took them in for five nights; he even guided them around the island as they covered the storm. When the camera was off, Mariana had but one viewer to create an emotional connection with: Paul. By the time the storm cleared, Mariana already considered Paul part of her family and he was grateful for the opportunity to see the US through Mariana’s eyes and perspective.
In Paul’s shelter, neither Paul nor Mariana had to pretend to be someone else to be accepted. By being ‘Perfectly’ themselves, they both began to care about each other’s story. All thanks to an act of kindness that transcended labels.
Now, #GoLikeMariana and embrace being Perfectly You!
Mariana Atencio is a journalist, TED speaker, influencer, and award-winning news personality covering domestic and international assignments, breaking news, and special reports.