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Many years ago, I was intrigued by a psychology book on childhood behavioral patterns. Apparently, there are early signs pointing to natural aptitude and preferences that you can carry on into your adult life. I remember, as a child, one of my favorite pastimes was to spin in circles becoming so dizzy that I would fall to the ground. The slight nausea didn't seem to bother me too much. You had to take what you could get in small town Alabama.
Never was I able to duplicate that feeling. That is - until my very first live shot. I was at Ward Warehouse reporting on the hard knocks the Hawaii economy had taken following 9/11. As I heard Kim Gennaula reading my name, that feeling from my childhood suddenly and vehemently came back. Dizzy and partially blind from nerves, I almost fell down. What I didn't anticipate was the rush of adrenaline and the thrill from performing on live television. I was hooked.
While exciting, covering news has always been so much more to me. I've realized my life is punctuated with news events. Watching the Challenger explosion in my elementary school classroom in Haleyville, Alabama, witnessing the OJ Simpson trial while attending UCLA and feeling horror when I saw hijacked planes crash into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Television news is a powerful medium. I am proud to be a small part of it.
My career had humble beginnings. As an editorial assistant at KNBC in Los Angeles, I started at the bottom, ripping scripts, answering phones and working like a dog to put a resume tape together. My first break - KGMB 9 News hired me as a general assignment reporter in 2002. Visions of sipping mai tais on the beach quickly pranced through my head. Those visions were dashed when I realized how hard it was to be a good reporter. Everyday, I hope to become better.
After waiting for the first sailors to arrive from Operation Iraqi Freedom at Pearl Harbor, listening to court proceedings for the Kamehameha schools admissions policy lawsuit and tracking through Maui's back country for my first exclusive interview of the family of airplane crash victims, I left Honolulu for the mainland.
In Sacramento, California, I worked at KCRA 3 News. For 3 years, I was part of the team which covered the Scott Peterson double murder trial verdict, Barry Bonds' 700th home run at AT&T park and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's been quite a ride.
As one of the new anchors for Sunrise on KGMB 9, the ride continues on. It is an honor and a joy to work with this talented group of people. The thrill is back. Lucky for me, this time it's minus the nausea.
Grace Lee co-anchors Sunrise on KGMB9 weekday mornings from 5 - 7 a.m. This is her second time working at KGMB9; her first stint ended in 2004. Grace came back to launch Sunrise on KGMB9 in 2007. | 