#MediaMonday – Marie Saavedra

I love native Chicagoans!
Not because I am one, mind you.
But my family is originally from South Bend, Indiana (yes, home to Notre Dame). Being merely 90 minutes from Chicago and a whole four hours from Indianapolis, Chicago always seemed more like “our big city” even though it was technically in a different state.
Given my affinity for the windy city, it is no wonder I have such an affinity for 3TV’s own Marie Saavedra, who is new to the Valley from Chicago and already earning fans.
She was nice enough to give us some time to share a little more about herself as this week’s #MediaMonday profile. She joins some of our other favorites from 3TV in partnering with us on these fun stories including Nicole Moon and Carey Peña.
If new to #MediaMonday, it is basically a weekly blog post introducing a member of the local or national media to our loyal fans.
Click here to see our nearly-100 past media profile blogs.
But, I digress.
So, Marie, what do you want to tell the blogosphere about yourself today?
I’m only in my fifth month of living and working in Arizona, but I already feel it was a great move!
I grew up in the Chicago area, and have my family to thank for my interest in journalism. The Chicago Tribune was on the breakfast table every morning, and when I got home from school, the news was on from 4pm until dinner. It was always a part of my day. For a talkative, curious, visual person who enjoyed writing and getting out and meeting people, broadcast journalism seemed to fit like a glove!
I chose the Missouri School of Journalism for college, and can’t thank the program enough. It owns the local NBC affiliate in Columbia, and by my senior year I was an on-air reporter/anchor – learning through trial by fire. Those poor viewers…but boy, did we learn.
It’s where I realized my love of the rush that comes with breaking news, and the satisfaction from bringing attention to an issue (or unfair situation) that needs it!
When I graduated, I stayed in Missouri for a job at KYTV, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, and worked as an anchor and reporter there for almost five years. Some of the biggest stories were weather-related, including the Joplin tornado, which hit just an hour west of Springfield. Reporting from there, standing on shredded homes, was like being on a different planet. I’ll never forget it.
I had never been to Arizona, and when I heard about the job at 3TV, the adventure and the chance to tell many different stories about things I had never experienced drew me in.  So far, the 3TV team, the work and the community have been as great and as (positively) challenging as I had hoped for!
In 2012, I look forward to making more connections, volunteering with a special needs organization (I have a brother with Down Syndrome) and exploring Arizona!
I’d love to hear your suggestions and story ideas…find me on Twitter here or email me at msaavedra@azfamily.com.
Thanks for having me!