“La Historia se hace sin filtro”

 

Truer words are seldom spoken in this day and age and in many ways those words reflect Mariana Atencio’s life and career. In this episode of “Learn from Leaders” I sit down with Mariana Atencio, a Venezuelan American journalist and author, formerly a national correspondent for MSNBC and NBC News. She holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has also worked as an anchor for Fusion TV and Univision. Many who look at her and her achievements tend to not realize what got her there, what hardships she had to fight to be who she is today. Through those moments of pain and hardships that she endured, she acquired a wisdom that she was happy to discuss to me and to all who might listen. From analyzing the impact that education had on her life from formative years in Venezuela or developing her craft through her master’s in Columbia. She recalls the struggles she faced being an immigrant during one of the largest financial disasters in the U.S, being out of jobs, losing her visa and how hard she had to fight when she did get an opportunity. She emphasizes the importance of having a plan B and how hard it might be to repair the unforeseen damage. Yet nothing better displays her courage and character than when she was put on the ground kneeling and a gun was pointed to her and instead of cowering from journalism in a nation like Venezuela, she doubled down, deciding to continue her path.

 

“Yo estoy en mi mejor momento, no cuando estoy triunfando, tampoco cuando me caigo, sino cuando me levanto”