Alumna proves willingness to move pays off

Since graduating in 2006 with a double major in mass communications--emphasis on electronic media--and Spanish, Rita Garcia has been busy being promoted and receiving awards. She started reporting at KRGV-Channel 5 in the Rio Grande Valley but said, “I had to move around to move up.” That is exactly what she did. She moved to Los Angeles, joined KCBS/KCAL9 and became a freelancer and reporter. Her first major story was the death of Michael Jackson, and they escalated from there. Garcia reported on the longest fire in history, from the red carpet to the fire lines. She remembers “having to be careful following the fire trucks to find our way back out.” Garcia got her own chance to walk across the red carpet when she accepted the Tracy Miller Merit Award alongside Brady Bunch's mom, Florence Henderson. She was awarded for her dedication and hard work to the organization Alliance for Women in Media (AWM).  She ecstatically said, “People wanted to interview me when I walked down the red carpet. I was shocked; I am usually the one doing the interviews.”

Leave with Something to Show

Her advice to future reporters is to get an internship and work hard at getting a quality demo reel.  She said Texas State University has “the best journalism programs.” Garcia is now back in Houston at Fox 26 and has been promoted to reporter and a weekend anchor.  Although she loved the glamor of Hollywood, she is ready to push her career further by moving a little closer to home. Members of her family are Texas State Alumni as well. You can follow her on Twitter @theritagarcia.