Get to know foreign correspondent Patrícia Vasconcellos! Vasconcellos is the US correspondent of the Brazilian TV network Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, where she has reported on numerous international events. She is an award-winning documentarian, who most recently directed the documentary film “Curfew in NYC,” which received awards from both the New York Film Awards and the New York International Film Awards. Patricia is a member of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFC-USA).

What was your childhood like growing up in Brazil?

I was born in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast. My hometown Itajubá is surrounded by mountains. It was a happy childhood filled with love and challenges. When I was born, my father was in the midst of building our house on the outskirts of the city. But he lost his job at the radio station where he worked and was unable to complete our home. For three years we had no electricity or running water. It was the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, and Brazil was entering democracy -- a new phase for the country and my family. After a lot of hard work, my father was able to improve our financial situation by dedicating his life to communications, his greatest passion.

Do you remember a particular moment that inspired you to become a journalist and broadcaster?

I believe I was inspired gradually. I remember when at home, one of my favorite games was to pretend that I was a TV presenter. When I was 11, I started my own show at the radio station my father founded. My work was to talk to listeners live on the phone and read letters from children who wrote me asking to play specific pieces of music, or told me a story. When I started to watch the news, I began paying attention to professionals that I admired on TV. I focused on their text and the way they conducted their stories. That´s when I chose to become a journalist -- a TV journalist. I left home to study journalism at the age of 17.

What are the greatest trials you have faced in your journalism career so far? How did you overcome them?

My first biggest challenge was to prove to myself that I could work for Brazil's most important media companies. The second was working abroad, covering international issues. I started my journalism career as an anchorwoman, which is not very common. Many begin their career as a reporter, not as a presenter. After seven years of doing the same job, I realized that what I really wanted was to be a correspondent. In order to achieve that goal, I had to step out of my comfort zone. I managed to overcome the second challenge by mentally designing myself a strategy: get a Master´s degree in TV journalism in the UK, which I´ve always admired for its quality news. While in the UK I produced, filmed and edited two documentaries about Israel and the West Bank. It was then that I realized my previous feeling was right, and I wanted to be a correspondent and documentary maker. When I returned to Brazil, I decided to change the course of my career and left my old job as a TV presenter and started working as a reporter for SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão.) First in São Paulo; then in Buenos Aires, covering Latin America for six years; and since September 2018, in New York, as a US correspondent producing, writing and presenting daily stories for 191 million viewers in Brazil.

What topics are you most passionate about reporting on?

In 21 years of journalism, I have covered arts and entertainment, police, politics, economics, sports, environmental disasters, demonstrations, and everyday stories. I dedicate myself with equal passion to every task that I am assigned. But, I must say that I have, however, a special interest in topics related to human rights.

What inspires you as a journalist?

Life itself and people. When I arrive in a country or a city, I literally dip into that reality. I want to not only listen, but understand the people and their thoughts, whatever they are. That’s what motivates me in every coverage.

What advice would you give to future journalists?

A good story exists everywhere. On your street, or in your neighborhood. Start with that. Practice is essential. Be curious. Know what your goal is and never give up if something doesn´t go as planned. Believe in yourself, surround yourself with good friends and good people. Seek inspiration from professionals you admire, ask for advice and know that even in the most adverse situations, when everything seems like it’s going to collapse, anything is possible if we act with honesty and believe in ourselves.