|
I wouldn't say that I fell in love with news itself...but rather the enjoyment and opportunity of telling it. I remember once, for a school science project, I suggested my four-person team present our experiment in the form of a newscast. You know, throwing to each team member with a bit of info about the experiment. Everybody else did some ho-hum standard presentation, but not us! Of course, the class loved it as did the teacher. He jokingly remarked that I should think about career in that field. I laughed. It was all fun, but I never, ever thought about a career in journalism. Of course, I enjoyed watching television news, but at the time, I was interested in becoming a naval intelligence officer or attorney.
When I was in grade school in Florida, there was a prominent weather man, Danny Treanor, who lived in my neighborhood. I thought he was so cool. I remember one time, he visited my elementary school and I was very impressed with his weather presentation, but of course even more impressed with him. That impression of TV people...kind of stayed with me. I thought he had a great job, but still, it would be years before I would become interested in journalism. In fact, after graduating in 1991 from Stetson University in Deland, Florida, I headed to Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in Political Science. I actually considered entering the CIA, the FBI and even the State Department's diplomatic corps. They all seemed very interesting and exciting.
But it would be a twist of fate that I would wind up in journalism. While living in Washington, D.C., it would take failed admissions to the law schools of George Washington University, Georgetown University and Catholic University to make me realize maybe God had other plans for me. And one night, while watching network news with Peter Jennings, I literary looked at my mom on the couch and said, you know, I can do that. She said, absolutely you can and you should!
That week, I applied for a prestigious and select Master's degree program at American University. I was accepted and graduated with a M.A. in Broadcast Journalism and Public Affairs, with an international emphasis. I got my first exposure to television with the start-up cable political show, GOP-TV. I met tons of political personalities and "movers and shakers" inside the beltway. One of my favorite people was Colonel Oliver North. I made sure I got a picture with him.
I eventually left D.C. and landed in Hawaii in 1997 following a year-long teaching opportunity in South Korea. Myself and about a dozen other Washington D.C.-area teachers lived and taught English at public schools throughout South Korea. I used the summer "teacher's vacation" to travel Southeast Asia, heading to China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. By the way, I absolutely love Korean food. The more kim chee and garlic, the better.
After a two-week stopover in Hawaii in the spring of 1997, I would never make it back to D.C. I'm part Hawaiian-Chinese so I felt a strong connection to the Islands. My dad's aunt would take me in and about a month later, I was living and working in Honolulu. In college, I had always paid the bills by working in the food industry, waiting tables and bar tending. I've worked at start-ups in Florida and Washington, D.C. so it was no surprise that I would get started with a brand new southern start-up, Dixie Grill, when they opened the original location at Ward Avenue. I was determined to get started in TV news here in Hawaii, but no one would hire me because they thought I was "too green" as they put it. I would eventually begin my broadcasting career with KRTR-96 radio when Austin Vali hired me to work on-air as a morning news anchor. Jane Pascual and Courtney Harrington showed me the ropes and I was off. My first, full-time, television news opportunity would come soon after when KHON2's Jim McCoy hired me for general assignment reporting. Later, I was headed to the anchor desk reading the weekend news.
I believe Sunrise on KGMB9 is a turning point for me in my broadcast career. This is a chance for me to showcase who I am. I love telling stories - reminding and showing others exactly how amazing people are, and in doing so, bringing us closer together through common concerns, adventures, and even our own human failing and worst nightmares. The world and its people constantly excite and amaze me.
Now as a mom, I have a new found perspective on life. It affects the way I view news and how I tell it. Parents out there, you know what I mean!
Ramsay Wharton is the anchor for Sunrise on KGMB9 - Early Edition and the roving reporter for Sunrise on KGMB9. You can also watch her special reports on KGMB9's evening newscasts. She joined KGMB9 in 2007. |
