Rachel Weiss

The best day of school was when my dad came in to interview my class. As a broadcast journalist, he’d ask us about anything, from our favorite Halloween candy to our summer plans. The segment was broadcast to morning commuters of Long Island.

Although this day was a tradition throughout elementary school, it wasn’t until college that I realized I could pursue this career.

The best part of the job is meeting interesting people.

I graduated from Purchase College in 2016 with a degree in journalism. While there, I became passionate about telling people’s stories. I see journalism as a platform to amplify the voices of those often unheard. The best way I can personally do that is through writing and videography.

I was born and raised in Suffolk County. During college, my dream was to land a job at Newsday. I worked toward that for four years, giving endless hours to the school paper and absorbing everything I could during class. By senior year, I had an internship in New York City and a thesis to juggle. My thesis was about an organization in Port Jefferson Station, so I was constantly commuting.

In the end, I was ecstatic to achieve my goal — I started my internship at Newsday right after graduation. It was an honor to be hired full time less than a year later as a digital reporter. Last year, I was promoted to the real estate beat.

The best part of the job is meeting interesting people. I’ve interviewed Japanese internment camp survivors, intersex advocates and young entrepreneurs.

Meeting these special Long Islanders has inspired me. In my six years here, I’ve gained a different perspective or learned something new from every person I’ve written about.

One rewarding part of the job is helping people capture something: achievements, milestones or the snapshots in between. Contributing to people’s lives this way is something I’ll never take for granted.

At Newsday, many of us are lucky enough to call Long Island “home.” Since getting hired, I’ve migrated from Suffolk to Nassau. I’ve even taken part in the little joy of waking up and retrieving the paper at the end of the driveway.

I think working at Newsday is something I was always meant to do. I probably knew it back then: sitting in the backseat, listening to my dad on the radio. And I'm grateful to work in this field we both love.