Education: Wagner College

Vera Chinese

Education: New York University



	Lisa Irizarry covers business news with a focus on affordability issues. She joined Newsday in 2014 and wrote for Towns, the breaking news desk, and features before leaving in June 2020 to move out of state. Lisa returned to Long Island and rejoined the staff in May, 2023. Before Newsday, Irizarry was a reporter at The Star-Ledger and Burlington County Times in New Jersey&nbsp;and her work has appeared in magazines including Ebony, Life &amp; Style, Travel + Leisure and Black Enterprise.

Lisa Irizarry

I knew I wanted to be a writer of some sort from a very young age, but what kind remained an unanswered question years after a well-meaning fourth-grade teacher first suggested I pick up storytelling.



	For nearly a decade, I&rsquo;ve covered business at Newsday, starting as an intern in the summer of 2014, and making my way to my current position covering labor and employment. Originally from Kissimmee, Florida, I moved to New York after my internship ended in a job offer, trading the views of Cinderella&rsquo;s castle for wintertime snow and good pizza.



	While working with my talented colleagues at Long Island&rsquo;s hometown paper has undoubtedly made me a better reporter and person, my passion for journalism and storytelling dates back to college.



	I had the good fortune of securing some much-needed financial aid to cover the costs of schooling. But with grants only covering so much, I worked part time in the evening at a well-known Medieval-themed dinner show, tights and all.



	If I wasn&rsquo;t there heralding the entrance of the king, crunching for exams, or crawling through traffic on my way to campus, I was covering stories for my local community college paper, the Valencia Voice.



	I went on to attend the University of Central Florida &mdash; couldn&rsquo;t seem to shake the knights on horseback motif, it seems &mdash; where I would go on to land five internships, covering everything from local nightlife to Orlando&rsquo;s business scene.



	It was during that time, working for my college paper and covering assignments as an intern, that I discovered what made journalism worth pursuing: the people.



	Not just the people I worked with &ndash; though then and now I&rsquo;ve been honored to call myself a colleague of some truly brilliant journalists &ndash; but the people I had the opportunity to meet and interview.



	I&#39;ve always enjoyed talking to people and learning about their areas of expertise, their passions, and their concerns. It&rsquo;s an important aspect of the job that has never gotten old and I suspect never will.



	After landing my sixth and final internship at Newsday, I made the right decision to travel north and had one of the most energizing and educational summers of my life. In many ways, that summer of learning has never ended.

Victor Ocasio

nd_journo_campaign

Since the fourth grade, Victor knew he wanted to be a writer. He developed a passion for journalism and storytelling in college and soon became a reporter. For nearly a decade, he has given Newsday readers the bottom line on trends in business, the labor force and employment on Long Island.

Services

marketing-journalists-victorocasio

Newsday Journalists: Victor Ocasio

Newsday

904727-1920x1080_Victor.jpg

A varied background of detailed oriented fun loving Long Islanders.

QA Test

More than 600 participants braved frigid waters as they took part in the Polar Plunge at Tobay Beach in Massapequa on Saturday to raise funds for Special Olympics New York. NewsdayTV&#39;s&nbsp;Shari Einhorn reports.

Long Island

LIPLUNGE230326_video

Hundreds take frigid plunge for Special Olympics

Massapequa

liPLUNGE230326

Most Popular

Latest Videos

Latest videos

A Town of Riverhead skate park was renamed in honor of Wesley Dean Ackley, a passionate skateboarder who worked to keep the park free and died of cancer at 27 in January. NewsdayTV's Drew Scott reports.

'He wanted everybody to have the opportunity to skate'

Mangano was originally scheduled to be resentenced on April 15. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Judge delays Mangano's resentencing

Wilkens Adonis pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges and will serve 5 to 15 years in prison. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

LI man to serve 5 to 15 years in prison 

Man shot inside a car in a driveway on Anne Lane in Central Islip on March 16, 2025

Jose Saez Jr., a pastor at Brentwood's Iglesia Cristiana Alumbrando El Camino, has pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual exploitation of a child. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports. 

Brentwood pastor pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of child 

Sign up for the NewsdayTV newsletter

Long Island Newsletter Widget

Through music and memories, many who knew and loved Hazel N. Dukes met in Hempstead to pay tribute.

Hempstead church hosts celebration of life for Hazel N. Dukes

Long Island Article Bottom Module

The Shinnecock nation will appeal the ruling, said vice chairman Lance Gumbs, who criticized it as failing to understand the tribe's status.

Judge issues order telling Shinnecock to halt work on gas station

The judge did not set a new date for resentencing but ordered the defense and the prosecution to submit a progress report to the court by April 15.

Ex-Nassau Executive Edward Mangano's resentencing delayed, court papers show

Multiple fire companies responded to the fire, which broke out early Monday.

Resident's body found in Island Park home after fire

"I take full responsibility for everything that happened," Wilkens Adonis told the judge.

'Losing a son is more than anything,' LI man says as he pleads guilty in tot's overdose death

The Brookhaven, Levittown and Holbrook fire departments agreed to pay fines and participate in training, as part of settlements that arose from "multiple complaints." 

3 LI fire departments settle with state over alleged discriminatory policies

Elevated mortgage rates discouraged homeowners from putting their houses on the market, agents said.

Suffolk home prices match record high as listings fall

Long Island Video Playlist

Former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano will be resentenced on April 15, weeks after two counts of his corruption case were tossed out by an appellate court. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Mangano's prison time could be reduced

Hempstead's Kevin Brown pleaded not guilty and was arraigned Wednesday in Mineola for allgedly running a fentanyl and dog fighting operation. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

7 dogs now up for adoption

Trotta explains how she was planning to be a teacher until Dave Portnoy called about TikTok.

She wanted to be a teacher until Barstool's Portnoy called 

Evan Hirsch, 27, is a rising fashion designer who's made a name for himself with the help of TikTok.

This LI fashion designer is transforming dresses on TikTok

Suffolk police arrested and charged Yolany Y. Mejia Carranza, 55, with three counts of unauthorized practice of a profession. 

'Operating as a dentist, without actually being a dentist'

An Inwood man has been charged with murder for allegedly killing an infant. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa has more. 

'He admitted to us what had happened' 

The Department of Education announced it would be cutting its staff by nearly 50%. Newsday's Maura McDermott reports. 

What DOE cuts could mean for LI

Health officials say a dozen Suffolk residents could have been exposed to measles at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park. 

Health officials monitoring potential measles cases

A pretrial hearing date has been set to determine whether DNA evidence can be used against alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

'This is not acceptable science'

The Suffolk County Health Department reported its first confirmed case of the measles. A child under 5 years old who lives in Suffolk County is said to be the third case statewide. 

What you need to know to prevent the spread of measles

Drones and helicopters flew over the sites of the fires in Suffolk Monday as investigators determined the cause of the fires. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Burn ban remains in effect

NewsdayTV meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen says conditions remain very dry on parts of Long Island and beneficial rain is not expected until next weekend. 

'Situation still is difficult across the island' 

Homepage Trending

St. Patrick's Day on LI: Parades, pubs

What to know about measles

Latest crime news

FeedMe Magazine

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

Breaking down St. John's road to Final Four ... Fewer free rides on LIRR ... LI opera singer hitting high notes ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV

Breaking down St. John's road to Final Four ... Fewer free rides on LIRR ... LI opera singer hitting high notes

Long Island - megaslot

Find out what's happening with Nassau & Suffolk news, Long Island schools, plus the latest crime, courts, politics. Coverage includes Fire Island, the Hamptons & North Fork.

QA Test

QA Test's Work

More Newsday Journalists

Welcome to the Newsday Community

Subscribe

Support and Subscribe

Share

Share the good word

Stay logged in.