Posted on Dec 05, 2007

Crystal Costa: Ready for prime time

Crystal Costa is on the air. A 2007 graduate, she currently reports for KJCT News 8 in Grand Junction, Colo., and hopes to anchor one day.
Getting to where she is took hard work every step of the way, even though she didn't always know where she was going.

"When I started college, I had no idea what I wanted to do," says Crystal, who grew up in the Central Valley and admits she came to CSUMB because she "wanted to live at the beach." She majored in Human Communication because "my passion is writing and being around people. I don't do math, science or many other subjects well, so it was also a process of elimination.

"I dabbled in everything; I took newspaper writing classes, magazine writing, investigative journalism, and even radio classes."

When it came time to choose a concentration, Crystal found the help she needed from her adviser, Professor Juanita Darling. "She sat me down to really narrow my choices and decide what I should do as a career.

"That's when I finally realized that news reporting is perfect for me," says Crystal.

Crystal determined that an internship would be the best way to get her foot in the door. "I called KION 46 and KSBW both for a month straight. I finally got a hold of KION and got an interview. After interning for six months with them, they offered me a position writing and producing KION 46 News at Noon. I was later promoted to producing and writing the Morning News, and did that for about a year."

On top of her internship, Crystal paid her own way through school - never taking a loan - by working as a waitress. "Working five days a week, interning and finishing school was quite a task. Sometimes I wasn't sure I could do everything, much less afford everything. But the pressure really helped me build character and made me realize that if you want something in life, you have to go out and get it. No one is going to bring it to you."

Despite juggling so much, Crystal maintained a 3.8 GPA and graduated magna cum laude. She credits her teachers, friends, boyfriend, and roommates for helping her make it through.

After working behind the scenes at KION for a year, Crystal says, "I was beyond ready to be on camera." She approached the search for her next opportunity with the same persistence and determination that got her the internship: "I took video clip samples of myself out in the field, and made them into a demo reel. I then sent the reel out to 70 news stations.

"I finally heard back from KJCT News 8. They had a reporter opening and I moved out to Colorado from Monterey one month after I was offered the position."

In her new position, Crystal goes out into the field to shoot footage and interviews and then edits the pieces together back in the studio. She also writes and delivers the stories on air. "I get to do something different every day. I meet new people and get to tell their stories. And I actually feel like I'm doing something for the community.

"I've had to pay my dues every step of the way, and really learn the news industry from the core, but I'm proud that I am doing what I love to do. I always want to be fulfilled in my career and feel like I am doing something that matters."

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