As Telemundo 51’s Primera Edición Team begins working in the quiet predawn hours of Miami, Fla., among the cast, Yvette Lewis has already begun with the morning news rolling on at 5:00 a.m. Through sensing the countdown towards her morning segment while revising her final notes for today’s featured stories, Mrs. Lewis’s journey of capturing narratives ties back to her 21 years at her alma mater. Igniting the studio with every word she speaks, her determination to broadcast stems from her success in defying language barriers.
Arriving from Cuba as a 10-year-old, the task of learning English became a central point for her. Practicing hours in middle school and into Coral Gables Senior High, she knew her English was not at the standard proficient skill like others. Despite the challenge, Mrs. Lewis would find another way to conquer her feat: journalism. Having seen her father in action as a cameraman, the added prospect only fueled her goal to join one of Gables’ publications.
“I went out with [my father] a few times on the field, and I would see the reporters do their work, and I fell in love with it. I knew that’s what I wanted to do and be my passion. It just seemed like they were making a difference, and I really liked that,” Mrs. Lewis said.
While Mrs. Lewis experienced her first bump with her initial rejection in writing, her set goal of aspiring as a journalist did not deter her. Stepping into the world of media as a sophomore, Mrs. Lewis found her place in Gables’ Television Production class for the next three years. From anchoring the morning announcements to describing to the audience the daily lunch schedule, Mrs. Lewis’s first taste in being in front of a camera would tenfold her decision to remain in journalism.
“Doing the morning announcements was really exciting and surprising. I am very grateful that my teacher [Ms. Mina Daegling] gave me that opportunity. That was huge to me, because I didn’t think my English was strong enough, but she still gave me the shot. I was very nervous since that was the first time on TV with a large group of people. It definitely boosted my confidence, and now I get to report for NBC6 in English,” Mrs. Lewis said.
Mrs. Lewis graduated in 2002. Not ending her dream as she entered into the real world, she decided to focus on her career by first interning at Telemundo 51 from April to October 2002. Working as an assignment desk assistant, she got a sense of seeing a professional news station operate, all while fueling her future pride for the National Broadcast Company Telemundo.
“I got to do a lot. I can’t believe that I’m back working at the same news station which is incredible. It was a dream come true for me, because at that point I was like, ‘I want to work here someday,’ and here I am. Mainly I got to work at the assignment desk, and I learned with producers how to put together a story, follow reporters to get insight, write scripts for TV and do interviews. I really got a taste of what this business was like,” Mrs. Lewis said.
After finishing her internship, Mrs. Lewis resumed her college education by entering Miami-Dade College and majoring in Communication for two years. Getting her associate’s degree, she would later transfer to Florida International University and major in Spanish. Reaffirming her decision to broadcast, Mrs. Lewis joined Telemiami in 2005 as a Spanish sports anchor.
“I knew that this career was a little different in the sense that it wasn’t a job where you could just graduate from college and immediately get a job. You have to be more involved early on. I took a break right after high school and began interning for Telemundo. After my internship, I was still working while going to school. I got a job at a station called Telemiami and since it was a brand new station that revealed their new newscast, they let me do little segments while I was doing school which was lucky,” Mrs. Lewis said.
While she anchored, produced and wrote for the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., “De Paso Por El Mundo” show times, Mrs. Lewis would later become a news reporter in 2007. Before exiting her tenure with Telemiami and working on the midnight “El Informative” entertainment segment, she moved on to Miami Latin TV in 2009. Briefly hosting the daily segment of “Mundo Insólito”, that same year she entered into América TeVé and stayed there for the next 11 years. Achieving success by winning an Emmy Award in 2015 as well as covering special stories such as the inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, Mrs. Lewis went to the full extent of being a journalist for América TeVé.
As she was getting ready to begin her anchoring duties for the day in 2019, she received a phone call. Picking it up, a rush of excitement of emotions flooded over. On the other side of the call, Telemundo 51 was offering her an open reporter position after inquiring and sending her application to her dream workplace.
“I cried. They called me that morning, and it was funny because they told me, ‘Hey we have an opening right now, but you have to make a decision right now,’ and they knew I wanted it. I was constantly knocking on doors and always reminding them about my interests. I remember I was working for Channel 41, [América TeVé] and I said yes right away. I had no idea how it was going to work now, but I knew this was where I wanted to be,” Mrs. Lewis said.
Now working at Telemundo 51 for almost five years, Mrs. Lewis does the morning news from Monday to Friday until 7:00 a.m. Additionally, being one of the duopoly reporters the company has to offer, Mrs. Lewis has also reported for NBC6 in English, reflecting on the confidence she received back at Gables.
Moreover, on Sept. 28, Mrs. Lewis had the opportunity to return to Gables by interviewing athletic trainer Ms. Alexia ‘Lex’ Clark for being awarded the “Making a Difference On and Off the Field” by Buddy Helpers.
“It was surreal. I haven’t returned to Gables in over 10 years so it was exciting when they told me I was covering the story. I told my producer that I went there and graduated from Gables and she told me, ‘Well you’re the one to cover the story.’ Just walking around those hallways brought many memories that came rushing back. The school has changed a good bit, but I still have many memories, and I feel grateful seeing the home of the Cavaliers again while being welcomed by the staff and the students,” Mrs. Lewis said.
Insinuating herself as a seasoned journalist by covering stories that resonate with the viewers watching her across South Florida, her passion for storytelling continues to inspire. By going above and beyond in accomplishing her dream as a respected reporter across Telemundo 51 and NBC6, Mrs. Lewis’s commitment has led her to have a voice in journalism.
“I’ve been working with Yvette Lewis for almost five years. She is a very disciplined worker, very consistent and is so passionate to get the full coverage of the stories. She’s very brilliant. Since we’re now looking more into the duopoly of reporting for NBC6 and Telemundo, she just does an amazing job. It has been a pleasure to work with her and I know she has a very long career for the company,” Telemundo 51 News Producer Marcos Castillo said.
