Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Alesia Sosa.
Hi Maria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a Venezuelan journalist with twelve years of experience, working as a reporter, writer, foreign correspondent, and executive producer.
I left my beloved Venezuela in 2016 due to the economic, political, and social crisis. It has been the hardest decision of my life since I left everything I had and most importantly, my family. But Miami has been so generous and I’ve fallen in love with the people and my life here. For the last seven years, I’ve been devoted to my community by covering the most important matters in South Florida.
As a local reporter for the daily Univision Miami newscast, I’ve covered many things. During the pandemic, we did hundreds of stories to help people in Miami-Dade and Broward. I was assigned to cover in a very broad sense, the Surfside Building Collapse in 2021.
I’ve also been sent to various hurricane coverages in Florida. I’ve had the opportunity to work on special pieces for political campaigns and races, as well as on election days. I’ve been assigned to many important cases such as the coverage of former president Trump’s trial in Miami. For all those opportunities I feel so grateful.
Miami and the United States have also given my career very generous and special recognition, and I’m so grateful for it, especially for our loyal audience.
I always try to dedicate my job to ensuring that the problems we report have accountability. With “Paraíso de Belleza y Muerte” along with Erika Carrillo, we helped promote a change of legislature to protect victims of cosmetic surgeries.
In 2017, I joined the Univision Noticias digital team, where I reported newsworthy stories including breaking news, general news, and feature stories relevant to the South Florida Hispanic community.
Before arriving in the US in 2016, I’ve been a special correspondent for several international media outlets in major coverages in Venezuela, such as Hugo Chavez’s death, the border conflict with Colombia, Leopoldo López’ trial or Felipe González’ visit to Caracas.
I’ve made special reports on presidential elections and the humanitarian crisis in her home country. I got my Journalism degree in 2010 from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela.
For the first years of my career, I did not work on TV. My first job after graduating was at the newspaper El Nacional. I also got to work as a radio executive producer. But later on, I started to get opportunities with foreign TV stations such as Antena 3 from Spain, or Estrella TV from California, so I became a correspondent in Caracas. I also worked as a producer and fixer for many media outlets such as Associated Press and BBC Radio.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been easy at all. Starting in a new country from scratch, without the people you love, has been very hard. But also the longest and hardest ways bring greater satisfaction.
Struggles? Too many to remember. From visa problems to paying the bills, to job setbacks, rejections emails, days when you feel that everything is impossible… We all encounter all these struggles, but for some reason, people only look at your success. Don’t be fooled, it’s been hard and complicated.
I still have many dreams to accomplish, but I don’t usually set long-term goals. Everything in my life has been a day-to-day journey, step by step, stair by stair. I don’t obsess about the destination, I just try to work hard along the way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
María Alesia Sosa is a Venezuelan journalist based in Miami and currently works as a reporter for Univision Miami. She graduated from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) with a degree in journalism and has previously worked for El Nacional and Runrun.es in Venezuela. In addition, she was a producer for César Miguel Rondón, a well-known radio host, on Unión Radio.
Sosa has received several awards for her work, including three Suncoast Emmy Awards and an honorable mention in the Esserman-Knight Journalism Prize. She was a correspondent in Caracas for Antena 3 (Spain) and Estrella TV (LA, California) during important coverages such as the death of President Hugo Chávez, protests, and elections in Venezuela.
Before joining Univision, Sosa worked as a news writer for Antena 3 Noticias in Madrid. She also holds a master’s degree in Audiovisual Business Management from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). She has completed two fellowships, one at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California and another at the Cronkite School of Arizona State University.
Sosa’s local journalism work has brought about changes in ordinances in the city of Miami and exposed irregular situations. However, her work on a report about plastic surgeries in Florida in 2019 had an unprecedented impact. The investigation led to the state legislature passing a new law to protect victims of these operations and change some codes.
References:
<span>[1] <a href=’https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/mariaalesiasosa‘ target=’_blank’ class=’text-purple-1 underline’>Maria Alesia Sosa</a></span>
<span>[2] <a href=’https://twitter.com/mariaalesiasosa?lang=en’ target=’_blank’ class=’text-purple-1 underline’>Maria Alesia Sosa (@MariaAlesiaSosa) / Twitter</a></span>
<span>[3] <a href=’https://rocketreach.co/maria-alesia-sosa-email_84256397‘ target=’_blank’ class=’text-purple-1 underline’>Maria Alesia Sosa Email & Phone Number</a></span>
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
My favorite childhood memory is when we used to go to Isla de Margarita in Venezuela.
I am the second of four siblings, and I had a very happy childhood, surrounded by my parents, my grandparents, my nana, and dozens of cousins. We lived in a happy country without knowing that we were on the brink of the abyss. All my childhood memories in Caracas and on the beaches of Venezuela make me very happy.
Also at my school, where I studied for 14 years and where at 4 years old, I met my best friends for life.
We are still very close. From a very young age, I was clear that I wanted to be a journalist. I liked to write, read or play when we were making a TV show, always with a microphone in hand.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/mariaalesiasosa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariaAlesiaSosa
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariaalesiasosa/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MariaAlesiaSosa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MariaAlesiaSosa
Image Credits
Maria Alesia Sosa
