Growing up, Stephanie Bertini (BA ’07) always felt she was meant to be in the spotlight. But it wasn’t until she became a student at York University that Stephanie discovered she was destined to work on television as an anchor and reporter.
Thanks to the help of the York U Career Centre, Stephanie completed various career aptitude tests which directed her to the field of broadcasting and subsequently York and Seneca College’s joint program.
“I remember my first day at York being so curious and it all led up to that moment where I went to the career counseling centre,” Stephanie recalls. “I remember the first time I stepped in front of a camera in the TV studio at Seneca and I knew this is what I was supposed to do.”
Stephanie’s career journey with York will come full circle as she will be sharing her talents as the host of the 2024 York University Alumni Awards on November 6 at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio. Held once a year, the York University Alumni Awards honour outstanding alumni who exemplify the values of York University, achieved the extraordinary and are working to right the future in their communities and beyond.
“It’s such an honour to be asked to do this to be able to go back and contribute in any way to the place that helped shape me and my dreams and I’m so proud that I’m going to be able to do this,” says Stephanie. “To be able to host something like this, I’m super excited about it and I know I’m going to feel pride standing there. It’s another experience along the journey.”
Stephanie credits York for expanding her perspectives and immersing her in a diversity of cultures.
“My time at York was instrumental when it came to sort of broadening my horizon. I was exposed to all these other cultures, all these other religions. I remember taking courses within the arts that explored history, culture, religion, and I loved it. It really started to open me up.”
Today, Stephanie is living her dream as an award-winning television journalist and adjunct professor. Over the years, she has received several honors for her work including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. She is using the power of storytelling and journalism to amplify voices, highlight important issues and even inspire change.
Some of her most notable projects include her current series at FOX 5 New York ‘Migrants in America: In Their Own Words’ which is focused on telling the stories of the migrants who have crossed the border and made their way to New York City. While working at NBC 6 News in South Florida she told the stories of those affected by the financial impact of the pandemic through her series, ‘Helping Hands’.
“The untold stories I’ve shared have always been the most memorable, compounded by that understanding that storytelling and journalism can really affect change,” says Stephanie. “Sometimes it’s to a person’s life or expanding a narrative like ‘Migrants in America’ or adding to the coverage of a current situation … I carry those stories with me.”