Starr County student reaches for the big time
Student of the Week: Raul Soriano
Kindness, with just the right amount of extroversion and class can go a long way if you’re pursuing a career in the ultra-competitive television industry, according to Raul Soriano.
Growing up in Rio Grande City, Raul said he attended the University of Texas-San Antonio right after high school to study broadcasting. Family concerns however prompted him to return to the Rio Grande Valley, and he chose to study communications closer to home at the Starr County Campus.
“It was either STC or UTRGV, but since STC was closer, that was the main reason for attending college here,” Raul said. “I not only appreciate the education that comes from hitting the books, but the education you get from life as well. I really do appreciate the teachers here who have not only shown me the inside of a textbook, but who have helped me understand what it means to go out there in real life.”
Now set to receive his Associate degree in Communication Studies this December, Raul credits STC faculty with giving him the inspiration to succeed as he begins to consider a career in Television.
"I really do appreciate the teachers here who have not only shown me the inside of a textbook, but who have helped me understand what it means to go out there in real life.”
“If you look closely, there are a lot of lessons and especially meanings behind the lessons that teachers give you that you really can use in life,” he said. “A person who I look up to a lot is my teacher, Ms. Andrea Fuentes because I see a lot of myself in her, especially her enthusiasm, her passion, her love for everything when it comes to communication.”
Raul says he intently studied the career tracks of successful talk show hosts like Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey as he plotted out his future career choice. For other students contemplating a similar career in a competitive field, Raul says anything can happen, even it seems impossible to some.
“It sounds cheesy, but it's true that no matter what your dream is, no matter if it seems impossible or if it seems too big, it can always come true,” he said. “One thing I really encourage for everyone to keep in mind is to never just settle for anything. For me that's super important.
“Once you settle there’s no room grow and everything just becomes ‘comfortable’,” he said. “Being comfortable is not good in my opinion."