Landed The Job

March 4, 2025

Award-winning journalist Stephanie Bertini always dreamed of living in New York City. Ms. Bertini graduated from the Journalism diploma program at Seneca Polytechnic in 2007. She worked her way up in Canada and the U.S. before becoming a reporter at Fox 5 New York in 2022. She’s earned a number of honours for her work and her series Migrants in America: In Their Own Words was nominated for a New York Emmy Award in 2024. In addition to her reporting, Ms. Bertini teaches, sits on journalism-related boards and is passionate about giving back to the industry.

She spoke to us about Seneca, her career and some of her noteworthy stories.

Throughout the program, I learned about the newsgathering process. I was putting together TV stories, anchoring … anything you would do in the industry, from a performance or editorial perspective, I was exposed to at Seneca.

My former TV professor Barb Caines helped me understand what I needed from a skill set standpoint and what I needed to apply to an on-air job, which was crucial and covered storytelling, the demo reel and resume. We’ve kept in touch and I spoke to her class this past September. It was such a joy for me!

I took on several internships and volunteer opportunities. I had an internship with TVO and I worked in wardrobe at Global for Entertainment Tonight Canada. At Rogers Television in York Region, I did everything from rolling a teleprompter to floor directing and eventually an on-air gig. It all helped me stack my resume while at Seneca.

By the fall, after I graduated, I was working my first job as a reporter in Sudbury for CTV News Northern Ontario. I got to cover a lot and did everything from hosting entertainment and the weather to news anchoring. I proved that I was versatile. I believe my Seneca experience helped me succeed in that first job. But my goal was always to work in New York City and so I started to network in the U.S.

I did a story called Police Threat about the Mexican cartels making their way into small American police departments, which won a regional and then a national Edward R. Murrow Award. And my piece Poverty Through the Eyes of a Child took me to a school district with students from families with great economic challenges and that also won a regional Murrow Award. I won several awards, but more importantly the stories I told at KRGV-TV in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas were instrumental in shaping my perspective on life and my career.

I believe hard work, passion and grit are some of the ingredients required to make it in this business. I work early morning shifts and late nights. Working weekends and missing holidays is part of the gig. Over the years, I’ve also taken on different on-air roles, but reporting has always been my first love and through that lens I have seen people at extreme highs and lows.

I love what I do – weaving together words, sounds and pictures and disseminating them to the masses. Working in New York City is a dream come true. I am honoured to be part of a great news team while covering a remarkable city.

I did my master’s in journalism at the University of Miami because I wanted to teach and give back. I started working as an adjunct professor in 2021 at Barry University in Miami. I have a goal to teach a course at Seneca because it would really bring everything full circle.

In addition to teaching, I sit on the board of directors for the Radio Television Digital News Association, judge journalism and broadcasting competitions and mentor young reporters. These are just a few of the ways I’m intentional about giving back. I have been given chances, mentored and helped along the way and now I am doing my part to pass that on.

Whatever it is that you want to do, I say believe in your dream, but also be willing to put in the time, the effort and the years. For me, at Seneca, my dream gained motion.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.