Official Introduction

Hello, everyone,

Here is the official introduction to San Angelo LIVE! readers that introduces me to the news website the trust the most. I am very pleased to work at this great company and grateful for this community who welcomed me with warmth and joy.

Check it out:

"Today, I want to officially introduce our newest reporter at San Angelo LIVE!, Gabriel Neves. Gabriel comes to us from Ogden, Utah. He and his wife Danielle moved to San Angelo two weeks ago, and he began his full-time position last week.
 
Gabriel is originally from Brazil, but he said he moved to this country for the opportunities it could afford him. He said he always dreamed of getting into this field, and he has had to overcome a lot of things in his life to make that dream come true. For him, this position is a great opportunity.
 
In hearing Gabriel’s story and all he has had to overcome, I couldn’t help reflecting on the benefits of launching a career in a smaller community like San Angelo. This is the place I found myself, and I know many people who feel the same.
 
Many people in San Angelo like to complain about how the news is mediocre, but they fail to realize that many people are starting their careers here. There are more starters than lifers. And by lifers, I mean the people who are from San Angelo, or the surrounding area, and have no plans on leaving, ever. Or, they’re the people who moved here from a larger community and have plans on retiring here.
 
The number of starters, however, far outweigh the number of lifers, so the people out there with cameras, recorders and notepads are recent college graduates, or current students, looking to get a foothold in their careers.
 
In the 14 years I have lived here, I have met some great people who got their start here—writers, photographers and editors. They have all moved on to bigger and better things, but I know, like me, they will never forget where they got their start.
 
In the big cities, media outlets may have one or two internships to offer, but they’re not always looking for newbies. They want people with experience, and that’s why San Angelo is so important. We provide that experience.
 
Now, it would be nice if we could retain some of these people, but with the current pay structure in San Angelo, that’s not our reality. As long as there are jobs out there that offer more money for the same job, people will move off because that is the nature of the business (well, of any business really).
 
So for now, those of us here in the media can just be satisfied knowing this is the place we launched our careers, and it’s the place we helped launched the careers of many others, including Gabriel.
 
Gabriel will be out and about, and it’s my hope San Angeloans will show him why West Texas is a friendly place to be, and a great place to launch his career."

(Originally written by Brandy Ramirez and published at San Angelo LIVE! News summary)