Stanislaus State alumni and former Signal staff members reflected upon their academic and professional journeys since graduating. Alondra De La Cruz, Trisha Garcia-Easto and Aliyah Stoeckl share how their roots in the Signal and other campus jobs served as a foundation to a thriving career in media.
The three currently work within the journalistic field, Garcia-Easto with USA Today, De La Cruz with ABC30 News Fresno, and Stoeckl with CBS News Sacramento.
Alondra De La Cruz, a native to the Central Valley and a first-generation college student,
graduated from Stan State in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and a minor in journalism. De La Cruz aimed even higher as she went on to earn her master’s in journalism from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2019.
As a Stan State student, she served as an editor and reporter for Signal, interned at KCRA 3 Sacramento and held the position of Station Manager at Stan State’s KCSS 91.9FM radio.
De La Cruz, a daughter of immigrants, explained how being a first-generation college graduate strengthened her work ethic and contributed to developing a deeper connection with her community as a journalist.
“Being a journalist in a newsroom — I think it opens my eyes to a bigger perspective and understanding the story because of what I’ve experienced in my life,” De La Cruz said. “It helps me understand the community that I’m reporting in better.”
While working in the Bay Area as a Production Assistant at KGO ABC7, she reported and produced audio pieces, video stores and photo essays for Oakland North.
De La Cruz returned to the San Joaquin Valley to be an Assignment Editor at ABC News in Fresno where she covers breaking news, assigns stories for crews of reporters and cultivates relationships with organizations and city officials, among other responsibilities.
“So as an assignment editor, I always walk into the newsroom — we have our first meeting where we decide what the plan is going to be for the day, what stories our reporters are going to be on — I help my reporters set up stories,” said De La Cruz.
“So whatever they’re on, if it’s shooting, if it’s a city council meeting, whatever it may be, I help them make those goals to set them up for success.”
Trisha Garcia-Easto graduated from Stan State in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies, then went on to get her master’s in Sports Journalism at Arizona State in 2016.
“It wasn’t just an essay I wrote about Erin Andrews that inspired me to work in sports journalism. My dad raised me watching sports, playing sports — they were just a huge part of my life,” Garcia-Easto shared.
Along with being a Signal staff member during her senior year, she was the head editor at Stan State’s OIT Distance Learning Services and interned with the Athletics Department, where she worked on video production.
“I wouldn’t still be in this career and in this field if I didn’t go to grad school,” Garcia-Easto continued, “but I wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t had my experiences at Stan.”
Garcia-Easto’s experience led her to become a Content Strategist and Video Specialist with Gannett in El Paso, Texas.
Gannett is a media company that owns and operates a variety of news outlets — including USA Today, where Garcia-Easto works. Aside from her work for USA Today, she teaches journalism and communication classes part-time at El Paso Community College.
The advice that Garcia-Easto gives to current Warriors is to keep pushing and take advantage of the opportunities around you.
“It was all worth it — every late night, every bit of stress — because I love where I am.”
Aliyah Stoeckl graduated from Stanislaus State with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a journalism minor in 2021. She then received her master’s degree in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts from San Francisco State University in 2023.
While at Stan State, she contributed to Signal from 2019 to 2020. She also worked as a student blogger in which she gained experience writing weekly informational blogs, targeting students and prospective audiences for the University’s Admissions and Aid.
These experiences served as a stepping stone to her current career as a morning news producer for CBS News Sacramento.
Stoeckl shared that she works the graveyard shift. She clocks in around 11 p.m. and reviews the news cycle to set up her show at 5 and 6 a.m.
“When you’re doing morning news, it’s rough — super early,” Stoeckl said about her work.
In addition to video editing, writing and covering breaking news stories, Stoeckl works with a team of reporters, directors, managers and others to power the broadcast.
“Crazy things happen every single day,” Stoeckl stated. “You have to be ready for it.”