As the son of two small business owners, Alexie Aguayo was raised to be productive, ambitious and goal-oriented.
He took that message to heart and sped through college, earning his bachelor’s degree in communications at Cal State Fullerton a mere two years after graduating from high school.
In his first semester at CSUF, the Corona native took a typical course load but found that he was bored. “I can do more,” he thought. The next semester he decided to take the maximum 21 credits, which turned out to be a better fit for his drive and energy level.
It worked so well, in fact, that he continued to take 21 credits each semester and also opted to attend winter and summer sessions — all while commuting 100 miles daily from Moreno Valley. (And he says he slept seven hours a night too).
The heavy course load and long commute did not stop Aguayo from having a full college experience either. He was an active participant in the Latino Communications Institute, where he learned to get involved and network.
“LCI taught me that being involved in the community is just as important as being involved on campus. Connections are everywhere,” he said.
Aguayo also worked four internships during college: in-person at the city of Fontana, on-campus for the Department of Strategic Communications and Brand Management and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and virtually for a food/lifestyle site where he conducted research and blogged.
His drive to finish school so quickly stemmed from his desire to enter the workforce and start his dream job: working in TV.
Originally thinking he’d be a sports anchor — Aguayo chose CSUF for its strong journalism program. As he studied, though, his mind expanded to more possibilities, and he became interested in general and business news as well.
Upon graduation, he had multiple job offers and now works in multimedia journalism at NBC affiliate KTVH in Helena, Montana.
The job is a good fit for him, because as a multimedia journalist, he wears a lot of hats.
“Every morning, I pitch story ideas. Once approved, I schedule and conduct interviews, grab videos and develop creative stand-ups for packages. Then I edit all these, write a script for the anchor and submit all video materials. To end my shift, I write a web article about my stories that day.
“CSUF taught me everything I’m doing now. My boss has been impressed by how quickly I’ve adjusted to the job! I’m proud that my coworkers now know about CSUF’s strong program.”
Aguayo loves his work and has realized that he enjoys journalism both on- and off-camera. His new goal is to be involved in the field for as long as he can, as an anchor or producer.
At the same time, though, he’s already started to feel restless. He recently enrolled in an online program in Spanish communications to diversify his knowledge.
“I’m very productive, and I want to learn everything. I want to do it all.”
Contact: Karen Lindell, klindell@fullerton.edu