The commemorative speaker for Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month (LHHM) is Sarina Morales ’08, a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and contributor to multiple ESPN platforms, including anchoring “SportsCenter:AM.” During her time at SU, Morales was a member and president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Morales will speak on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. in Heroy Auditorium. Morales’ talk will focus on race and gender in the sports industry. The complete list of events during LHHM can be found on the LHHM calendar.
Sarina Morales
Morales answered some questions about her experience at Syracuse University, her career and what it means to be a part of the LHHM celebration.
Q. Can you share a favorite memory from your time at Syracuse University?
A. Too many to pick one, so I will list a few.
My last couple years at Syracuse were by far my favorite times and memories. I started to get hands-on experience in my Newhouse classes. I was a mentor on campus and that was a great learning experience for me. I had a radio show on Z89 every Saturday called the “Danger Zone.” My group of friends started to became family.
I’ve had some great memories going to the Dome to watch the basketball team play. College basketball is still one of my favorite sports, so getting to see some of the best college basketball on a regular basis was pretty cool.
Q. How did your experience at Syracuse University shape who you are?
A. When you graduate from a great school like Syracuse, you leave with more confidence. Since graduation, I’ve become more confident knowing that I’ve learned fundamentals from one of the best journalism schools in the world. I feel supported in the industry. I meet Syracuse graduates pretty often. So it’s nice to feel supported knowing my family is growing every year.
Q. What does a day in the life of Sarina Morales look like?
A. I have seven alarms that go off between 3 a.m. and 3:08 a.m. I snooze all of them.
By 3:15-3:20, I’m making my coffee, taking my vitamins, brushing my teeth and scrolling through emails and Twitter. I’m in my car by 3:45 a.m. and get to ESPN around 4 a.m. I sit down in the “SportsCenter:AM” show pod, open up AP ENPS, look through the rundown, speak to my producers about the stories I am covering and write until 5:40 a.m. At that time, I run over to hair and makeup and head to the studio to review my work around 6:30 a.m.
The show starts at 7 a.m. and we are live for three hours. After the show, we have a post-show meeting. I’m usually done with work by 11:30 a.m. and I drive home and nap.
My afternoon varies, but consists of a workout, errands and reading. By 5 or 6 p.m. I’m eating dinner and on my computer looking up story ideas for the next day’s show. On a good day, I’m in bed by 9 p.m. and back at it the next day!
Q. What does it mean to you to be the commemorative speaker for LHHM?
A. It’s an honor. I remember having ESPN’s Pedro Gomez come and speak at a Syracuse event when I was a student, and to be invited up during LHHM is a huge honor. I “bleed orange” and I am extremely proud of being a Syracuse alum. There were not many Latino/Hispanic students in Newhouse when I attended. I see that number is growing and that makes me proud.
