SAN ANTONIO – Jessie Degollado is a Latina role model and a face you have seen on-air for decades at KSAT12.
“It was curiosity and my love for the written word, combined to become my desire to be a reporter,” Jessie Degollado said, explaining how she chose her profession.
Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Degollado said being a reporter was a dream she had ever since she was a little girl.
“My mother, in fact, told me, ‘Ay mijita, you’re going to starve, you’re going to starve my little girl, you’re going to starve,’” she said.
“Well, I told her, ‘Mom, I don’t think so. But you’ll see. You’ll see.’”
Jessie is a pioneer when it comes to Latinas pursing a career in journalism in South Texas.
She first started her journey in 1977 in the Rio Grande Valley and eventually made her way to KSAT in 1984.
Since then, she’s covered countless stories, ranging from general assignments to border and immigration issues.
Over the years, she has received several prestigious awards for the stories, including an Outstanding Alumna Award from the Baylor University Journalism Department in 2014, the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 from the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists, the International Humanitarian Service Award in 2011 from Mujeres Hispanas Por Mejor Justicia, and the Alegre Award in 2016 from Norteño Radio.
“I was just the girl from Laredo, Texas, that made it in the Valley and was blessed to come to San Antonio and that I’ve been here as long as I have. So for that, I am proud,” she said.