RAFAEL OLMEDA, 35
BA ’94
Reporter,
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

According to Rafael Olmeda, his student days at The Ticker (as reporter, news editor, editor-in-chief, and writer-at-large) were a good introduction to the newspaper industry. Working on Baruch’s student newspaper “was a great preparation, especially the criticism,” he remembers. “Being accused of bias, of having an agenda . . . a lot of it was misplaced, but some of it was right on the money.”

He used that experience, along with his degree in journalism, to forge a career as a newspaper reporter. After a summer internship at Newsday in 1992, he began a 10-month internship at the Daily News, which evolved into a full-time position covering his hometown, the Bronx. “It was an extraordinary experience to write for the newspaper that helped my father learn English,” he says of those six years. While at the News, he started the Most Wanted column, which led to the apprehension of 40 “bad guys” during his employment.

In 1999 he headed south to become a general assignment reporter at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Although he loves New York and the Bronx, he was happy with the transition to a smaller publication: “It’s a growing paper, a growing community, and there are more opportunities here.”

In addition to his newspaper work, Olmeda is active in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; last August he was elected vice president for print. He has also found time to teach writing and journalism at Florida International University.

One important lesson he learned from his days at The Ticker: When reporting, don’t hesitate to mention someone deserving of praise. “You might forget the story, but they’ll have it forever.”

—Marina Zogbi

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