Alumna tells stories

By Mike Stepanovich

Maricela Solorio knew as a child that she was going to be a news reporter when she grew up.

"I was always interested in news since I was little," she said. "I pretended to hold a microphone and play like I was interviewing somebody. I always knew that's what I wanted to do."

And when she graduated from Wasco High School she knew that CSUB would help her achieve her goal.

"There was so much more to do and to see here," she said. "I lived in the dorms the first year. That was a big change for me, a really good change. After my first year I moved out with some friends and got an apartment. I was independent, on my own. I had to make sure I succeeded and not party all night." She laughed at the memories.

An internship at Channel 39 Univision confirmed her career path. After graduation she worked briefly at an advertising company, then was hired at KERN 1410AM radio as a general assignment reporter. "I've been there more than five years," and is now investigative reporter/assistant news director.

She's come a long way in the five-plus years she's been with the station. Not only has she grown into her job, she's also grown as a person.

"I've seen a lot of changes in myself," she said. "I know that in the beginning I didn't know anything. They just threw me in. I was covering murder stories, violence. It was too much to see the violence right in front of me, to see the families, the victims - that was terrible. Now I've seen it so much that it's easier for me to cover the story without getting too emotionally involved. But it takes time.

"At first, I didn't know what was important, what was the juicy soundbite. Now I know the drill, what the anchor is going to say, what sounds good. So it's become easier and faster.

"But sometimes the story you thought you were going to isn't the story that's there," she added. "So you have to adjust.

"Now it's easier to get to the meat of the story, whereas when I started didn't know where to start."

She's also learned that in the news business, contacts and credibility are everything. "When I started, nobody knew who I was and I didn't know anybody. Now people call me. One thing about me is that I write the story fair and square and get both sides of the story. I know a lot of the people trust me because they know I'm fair and will double-check my facts."

She counts some of Kern County's biggest stories as among her most memorable.

"The Stephen Tauzer murder case was huge. And the killing of California Highway Patrolman Richard Maxwell has been compelling.

"What I really remember is going out to a shooting in broad daylight. The news director told me don't just get the police, get the people involved, people who were affected. So I get to the scene and interview the officials. And there's the mother of the kid who was murdered. She was crying, in tears, and I thought how am I going to get her to comment when she's in so much pain? Then I saw other news people approaching her, getting comments. So I was able to talk to her. It's all in the way you ask the questions. You must be sympathetic, calm them down a little. That was the first time and I'll never forget it."

She's developed a thick skin, but doesn't want to become too cynical. "You get a little desensitized," she said. "You stop thinking about how the families are feeling, and stop thinking about what you just saw. I don't dwell on it and think about it all night. At first I did. But now I know that you just have to do your story and move on to the next one."

It was her time spent at CSUB that helped shape her. "It was very important," she said. "I'm glad I came to CSUB because the students there are there to get an education, to get a degree. It's a good atmosphere, and it helped me realize my goal. The professors here are very nice, very helpful. If you had a problem, you could actually talk to them. For communications I would have to say that the news feature writing class I took really helped prepare me for the real world in the news business. It really helped me understand the deadlines, and making sure my stories were accurate. … I really love Cal State."

She's also in love, and planning to marry soon. Her fiancé also works at the station. "It's so different when you meet the right person."