MEET THE PROFESSIONAL
March 2020
Sara Shouhayib
Ms. Sara Shouhayib is a morning news anchor at Eyewitness News KBAK/KBFX in Bakersfield, California.
Before making her way to Bakersfield, she spent two years at WTOL in Toledo, Ohio as an MMJ/Breaking News Anchor, where she received her first Emmy Award along with her morning team for best morning show.
In conjunction with working at Eyewitness News, Sara is taking her newsroom experience into the classroom and teaching a communications/journalism course to students at Bakersfield College.
We are very excited to feature her as our professional in this month’s “Meet the Professional” series.
Below are a few questions to help facilitate this interactive connection. At the end of the page you will have an opportunity to post your own questions for Sara.
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Degree/s and Universities.
- M.S. in Journalism, Northwestern University;
- B.A in Communications and Spanish with minor in Environmental Science, University of Michigan
Please list any awards/recognitions/honors:
- Emmy Award for Best Morning Breaking News coverage
Discuss a moment or turning point in your life that led you to your career path:
I was convinced I was going to be a therapist for much of my life, but when I got my first C+ on a report card my freshman year of college for a Psychology course, I took it as a bad omen and gave attention to my other interests. I looked back at my life and saw that journalism was a common theme in many of my chapters. Dating back to as early as elementary school, I was doing what I basically do now, I gave the school morning announcements. That inner passion in me stuck around for high school where I wrote for the school newspaper. When I got to college, I was an editorial columnist for my school newspaper as well and I reported for my campus T.V. station (where I did not get the anchoring gig by the way, I was just an in-studio reporter). It took me “failing” (or my idea of failing) that psychology course to lead me to my career. Failing can be a good thing!
Discuss a role model or mentor who influenced your career choice:
I had a male mentor who helped me make my first demo reel and lead me to consider going to grad school. That was a huge catalyst for making all the connections I have today. Sometimes going to a school is worth it, if you can come out of it with a giant network. All the newsrooms I’ve been a part of have had someone who went to the Medill school of journalism at Northwestern where I went. Those connections have helped me tremendously.
I also need to give every person in my family a shout out for all individually being my role models. Mom, Dad, Rabeeh, Omar and Nada are all such special people in their own rights and I’m blessed to have taken a little piece from each of them being that I’m the youngest. I’ve got a ride or die family, they’ve always been behind me and my crazy adventures and career aspirations. I’m so lucky they always fueled me and my passions.
Do you recall any specific challenges you encountered and overcame?
Bullying in the workplace is a real thing. I had a horrible experience with people in my last newsroom. I overcame that by making sure my work spoke for itself, and didn’t give anyone a reason to dog on me for my professionalism or for my stories. When my contract ended, I knew it was time to leave. Kindness matters. I always took the high road and because of that I still have a great relationship with management that I still use as a reference. Sometimes overcoming something involves just knowing when it’s time to leave and try something new! Now I know how to stand up for myself and speak up when I see anything wrong happening, whether that’s to me or to a colleague.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
In the next ten years, I’ll be married to my partner and inshallah we will have two healthy kids. I mention this because as Sheryl Sandberg says, who you decide to be with is one of the biggest business decisions you ever make. Who you end up with is your largest and most important investment. Your career and who you decide to wed are not mutually exclusive, but instead a supplement to your ambitions and goals.
In respect to me working in my field, I hope to continue in journalism on the national level or in a major U.S. city where I’m close to family. I’ve moved so many times to make this career happen, I just hope in ten years, I’ll have some stability.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?
No job is beneath you, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you.
Don’t settle. If you know your worth and what you can bring to the table, go some place (city or part of the country you want to live in) that you know will make you happy. In that same vain, lock in a salary that won’t make you bitter at the company (and trust me you will get bitter) and push for that. You’ll never regret betting on yourself. It may require more effort, but it will make the victory that much sweeter.
If you want to get into this job “just to be on T.V.” this ain’t the one. Trust me. It’s not glamorous. You know who my glam squad is? Me myself and I. I do my hair, my make up and set my alarm at 2:30 a.m. every morning. Go into acting if that’s what you want to do.
Don’t go to a newsroom where you’re the best journalist in the room. Make sure there are people you can learn and grow from so you’re not staying stagnant in your development. Always be around people who are smarter and more skilled than you. You’ll only benefit!
Have some people in the industry who you watch and take notes from, but don’t forget to be yourself. After all, no one can do you better than YOU!
This industry is such a grind. I’ve thought about quitting so many times, but I try to remind myself that this line of work matters. We are helping to document history for centuries to come. (Y’all know President Donald Trump is going down in history for a long long time.) Understanding that larger picture, makes me feel like my work is worthwhile in my streaks where I feel like I’m in a slump.
If anyone reading this wants to call me, please do. I’ve had a lot of people help me along the way, I would love to pay it forward!
Tell us a little bit about your hobbies outside of your field:
Running is a really big part of my life. It’s how I stay centered, clear my head and focus on my health!
I love to cook! That’s also a form of therapy for me!
Anything music related, whether that’s attending a music festival or a concert, making the music myself or performing in front of people, is like a part of my religion.
I love teaching, I’ve been an adjunct instructor now for 6 months at a community college and love to give back! It’s also a great way to reinforce my skills and knowledge as a working journalist.
Spending time with my nephews is a LIFE highlight. They taught me that love, kindness and purity conquers all.
A Q&A form will be uploaded shortly. In the meantime feel free to send any questions you would like to ask Sara to admin@network1017.com
Click here if you would like to connect with Sara