
Victor Ocasio
Business Reporter - Employmentvictor.ocasio@newsday.comI 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’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’s castle for wintertime snow and good pizza.
I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and learning about their areas of expertise, their passions, and their concerns.
While working with my talented colleagues at Long Island’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’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 — couldn’t seem to shake the knights on horseback motif, it seems — where I would go on to land five internships, covering everything from local nightlife to Orlando’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 – though then and now I’ve been honored to call myself a colleague of some truly brilliant journalists – but the people I had the opportunity to meet and interview.
I've always enjoyed talking to people and learning about their areas of expertise, their passions, and their concerns. It’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's Work
- Clothing retailer Zara to open third LI locationVictor OcasioJuly 24, 2025 5:00 am
- What LIers need to know as NYS COVID-19 paid sick leave sunsetsVictor OcasioJuly 23, 2025 5:00 am
- Fast-casual chicken chain on LI rebrands as Chick & TenderVictor OcasioJuly 17, 2025 5:00 am
- Henry Schein CEO Stanley Bergman retiring end of yearVictor OcasioJuly 15, 2025 11:05 am
- Bitcoin rally, crypto bills: Here's what Long Islanders need to knowVictor OcasioJuly 15, 2025 5:00 am
- Stamp prices go up again: What Long Island residents need to know nowVictor OcasioJuly 14, 2025 9:26 am
- Snack Wraps are back, Spicy McMuffins arrive — but can they fix McDonald's sales slide?Victor Ocasio and Brianne LeddaJuly 10, 2025 5:00 am
- LI women tackle job barriers after prison with local helpVictor OcasioJuly 9, 2025 5:00 am
- Hicksville Agway, longtime horse, livestock feed store, to close at the end of the monthVictor OcasioJuly 3, 2025 5:00 am
- Dollar General to open this week in Suffolk, replacing former Rite AidVictor OcasioJuly 1, 2025 2:34 pm
- Here's why New York's AG wants stablecoin issuers regulated like banksBrianne Ledda and Victor OcasioJuly 1, 2025 2:10 pm
- Uncle Giuseppe's expands on LI with purchase of Edgewood warehouseVictor OcasioJune 25, 2025 1:31 pm
- Costco expands hours on LI, nationwide for executive membersVictor OcasioJune 24, 2025 12:04 pm
- Home goods retailer At Home files for bankruptcy, to close 26 storesVictor OcasioJune 18, 2025 5:00 am
- Islandia food service company to lay off 141, filing showsVictor OcasioJune 14, 2025 5:00 am
- Hampton Bays Rite Aid to close pharmacy this monthVictor OcasioJune 11, 2025 1:59 pm
- No plans to close LI Hooters, franchisee saysVictor OcasioJune 11, 2025 5:00 am
- What to know about Warner Bros. Discovery's splitVictor OcasioJune 10, 2025 5:00 am
- Popular Bay Shore eatery to reopen in OctoberVictor OcasioJune 9, 2025 12:30 pm
- JetBlue and United combine loyalty programs: What LI travelers should knowVictor OcasioJune 5, 2025 5:00 am