BEAUMONT — EDITOR'S NOTE: In its original form this story erroneously reported that Rocio Garza was the first Hispanic woman anchor in the Triangle. In fact there have been a number of Hispanic women who reported and anchored at stations in the Triangle. Our apologies to Carol Herrera, Anna Quintana and others.
By Julie Garcia
The News staff writer
Since last June, KBTV 4 viewers have gotten to know Rocio Garza, a local weather person and part of a Hispanic morning show team that bring news and weather information to Southeast Texas each morning.
Originally from Laredo, Garza started her career as a model but realized she needed to do something more for her life and for the lives of people around her.
With a new goal, she moved back to Corpus Christi and received a degree in sociology from the University of the Incarnate Word. She wanted to go into social work, but her career took a different path when she sent some modeling pictures to a local Spanish-speaking news station in Corpus Christi.
“My first taste of being a reporter was doing the Selena trial (the late Tejano singer). That’s how I started and there really couldn’t have been a better way; the case was known internationally because she was such a prominent figure in the Hispanic community and we certainly felt her loss,” she said.
Garza stayed with the same station but relocated back to Laredo where they gave her a chance to do weather.
“I had an opportunity to do weather and I said that I was up for the challenge,” she said. “I wanted to make that transition to the English market and I wanted to diversify, so I came out here and interviewed and the station gave me the opportunity. ... I didn’t think twice about it. I wanted to give the opportunity to other Latinas out there to follow their dreams.”
Along with Angel San Juan, Garza is one of the few Hispanic anchors on local television. She realizes the Hispanic community is growing the area and said the transition to the market has been “a real eye-opener.”
“Angel’s an icon around here; he’s such a good guy, he brings that out in you,” she said. “You could be having a bad day but he has such a positive outlook, it just rubs off. He’s very humble and makes everything he does look easy.”
Garza loves children and wants to take any chance she can to talk to kids at their schools and make a difference in their lives.
“I’m a daughter of a single parent and my mother doesn’t speak English or know how to drive. I could have done the same thing, but I wanted to change my destiny. Coming out here has been a blessing for me,” she said.
Garza is part of the KBTV weather team along with chief meteorologist Dana Melancon and weekend meteorologist Andrew Chung.
“Back in Laredo, I was a one-woman show, so working here with an amazing team is wonderful,” she said.
With so many Hispanic residents in the area, Garza is grateful to be a part of an ever-expanding and diversifying field - locally and nationally.
“I think KBTV 4 offers a lot of diversity, not just with Angel and me either. Being Hispanic means that we’re very loyal to each other and other members of our team. I think our viewers see that in the work that we do, so people want to cling on to that.
“I think Angel and I perhaps bring a certain spice to the show and viewers tune in for that. We want to tap into different kinds of viewers, because the audience can understand us and where we come from,” she said.
As a testament to their diversity, KBTV 4 does a Webcast in Spanish where Rocio, Angel and other members can reach out to the Spanish-speaking community.
Rocio encourages many young people to become bilingual and “embrace both languages.”
“I think it’s a gift anytime you can speak more than one language and it’s certainly going to benefit you in your job and life in the long run,” she said. “Embrace the fact that you have the ability to learn both or even up more than that. People should embrace their culture and not be afraid to learn both English and Spanish.”
Although Garza is a career woman, her Hispanic culture and sense of family are important to her. When asked about the situation with illegal immigrants and possible legislation that would deport them, she said she hopes a peaceful solution is on the horizon.
“The Hispanic community is very close-knit and I would hate to see families separated. We’re so big on family, morals, values, tradition, religion and our faith. I would hate to see families lose that in some way,” she said. “I just hope that everybody comes out happy and that people can stay with their families.”
With her one-year anniversary behind her, Garza plans on making the next year even better for herself and her community.
“This year I have worked so much; it’s been a year of many tests and many divine delays but it’s been good for me,” she said. “I’m certainly not the same person I was a year ago.”
