My good friend & our VIP/Celebriy Judge @ 5th Annual Cuban Sandwich Festival
on Sunday, March 20th, 2016 @ Centennial Park, Ybor City, Florida
by: Jolie Gonzalez-Padilla
Jolie: Please tell us a little bit about
yourself?
Cristina: I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shortly after
my parents arrived from Cuba
with my older brother, who was
just an infant. When I was 11
years old our family moved to
Lima, Peru where we lived for four
years. (My father was an executive
in the pharmaceutical industry.)
Then our family moved to Buenos
Aires, Argentina and two years
later we were transferred to San
Juan, Puerto Rico. I attended three
different high schools in three
different countries. Afterwards,
I studied Broadcast Journalism
at the University of Miami where
upon graduation I took my
first job as a news reporter with
Univision23. Once I started my
family, I took some time off to
stay home with my three children,
occasionally doing some freelance
work shooting industrial videos
and commercials in English and
Spanish. Since returning to the
work force in 2007, I have worked
as a correspondent with Univision
Network, CNN en Espanol, and
as a general assignment reporter
for WFOR in Miami and WPBF in
West Palm Beach.
Jolie: And your familia…..
Cristina: I am a very proud mother of two daughters and a son who
are my everything.
Jolie: As a television journalist
-tell us about some of the biggest
moments in your career…
Cristina: One of the first moments
that stand out in my career was
10
“ I feel as though I am already living my dream”
when I was just a rookie reporter
and was sent to cover the arrival of
President Ronald Reagan at Miami
International Airport. I was so anxious
because I had never seen a president
in person before. I remember the
door on Air Force One opened and
President Reagan and his wife, Nancy,
stepped out and started waving. I
thought they were waving at ME so
of course; I waved right back at them.
However, I didn’t wave just one arm. I
raised both of my arms above my head
and waved them vigorously. I soon
realized their salutation was aimed at
his supporters who were standing on
the tarmac behind us and that I was
the only one in the press corps waving.
Embarrassing moment!
Another moment was covering Hurricane Ike in 2008. At least 37 lives
were lost in the devastating storm that
destroyed large portions of Galveston,
Texas. It was heartbreaking to cover
stories about families and residents
who lost it all. Another impactful
assignment was the story about a
Mexican woman who was facing
deportation and sought sanctuary in a
Chicago church with her U.S. born 6
year-old son.
I followed this story for an entire year.
Elvira Arellano brought attention to
the complexity of illegal immigration
in the United States. I have had the
opportunity to cover the Republican
National Convention in 2008 held
in St. Paul, Minnesota in addition to
reporting on several political campaigns at the federal and state level.
Latin Times Magazine
It’s interesting to see former State
Representative Marco Rubio now, as a
presidential candidate, when it seems
it was just the other day that I covered
his campaign for U.S. Senator!
Jolie: How do you handle obstacles?
Cristina: I am both an optimist and
a woman of faith. So, when life happens, I take a deep breath and tackle
situations head-on.
Jolie: Please share with us about your
dreams
Cristina: I feel as though I am
already living my dream. I am blessed
with a beautiful, healthy, loving family
and I am fortunate to have a job I am
so passionate about. I’ve always told
my kids, ‘Do what you love and you’ll
never work a day in your life.”
whom I resided during my college
years. She lived to be 95 and
taught me so many life lessons:
character, integrity, patience, optimism and patriotism for the U.S.,
a country that she described as
the strongest and greatest nation
on earth. Abuelita also fostered
my love for Cuba, and the desire
to see a democratic “Cuba Libre”
someday.
Jolie: How do you like your Cuban
Sandwich?
Cristina I like a traditional Cuban
sandwich, without the salami,
lettuce and tomato. That said, I
will admit that when I was judging
the contest last year in Ybor City, I
tried a sandwich that had basil pesto added to it and it was amazing!
Jolie: What does
being a journalist
mean to you?
Cristina: I love
being a storyteller
and giving a voice
to people who
otherwise would not
be able to have their
grievances heard.
Jolie: Who is your
hero or role model,
and why
Cristina: My
role model was
my grandmother,
Abuelita Tina, with
www.latintimesmedia.com
Abraza el calor de tu cultura!