By Bonny Osterhage

Photography by David Teran

As a former high school counselor in her hometown of Houston, Vanessa Croix was always encouraging her students to follow their dreams. After ten years, she finally took her own advice and pursued a lifelong dream of broadcasting. 

Croix was in her mid-30s when she took an internship at KPRC in Houston and then landed her first gig as an anchor and producer in Bryan/College Station. In her free time, she practiced her reporting skills, shooting her own footage and asking other reporters for feedback. Her hard work paid off when, after only two years, KENS 5 offered her a job. 

“It was a leap of faith,” she says. “It’s one thing to start a new career when you are in your 20s, but it’s different when you are middle-aged.” 

In many ways, Croix says that her former teaching career helped prepare her for her current job and that the two professions are similar. 

“The viewers are like my classroom,” she describes. “Sure, there are more of them and I can’t see their faces, but I still have to create a relationship.”

Croix says San Antonio already feels like home, and she spends her downtime exploring the rich history of downtown as well as the communities along the border towns.

“These communities are in our viewing area, and I want to make sure they are seen and heard,” she explains.

When she isn’t running or taking a hot yoga class, Croix can often be found listening to live music at historic dance halls and getting to know what she calls San Antonio’s “welcoming community.” 

“When people tell me they watch me, I am so humbled because I was never sure I was going to get here,” she says. “I am so grateful to be where I am.”