KNOW VANESSA

Vanessa Abuchaibe is an award-winning bi-lingual Weather Anchor/Reporter, media personality, emcee, fitness instructor and philanthropist. Vanessa is originally from the Sunshine State, born in Miami, FL from Colombian/Middle Eastern parents. She also lived in the Windy City, Chicago, for five years.  The Lone Star State has been her home since 2010.  Being from different cultural backgrounds and living in different cities of the country, Vanessa has a deeper and more compassionate understanding of people in general giving her the desire to help her community in any way she can.

Vanessa has worked for the ABC affiliate in Austin, Univision Channel in Dallas, TX and the Telemundo and CBS affiliates in Amarillo, TX as a Weather Anchor and Entertainment Reporter. While working for Univision, she was nominated as a weather anchor and as a multimedia journalist/reporter, taking home an Emmy in 2016!

Even though she started out her local news career, including several national appearances, in 2010, her journalistic journey began much earlier. Vanessa had the grand opportunity to work as a producer and reporter for the Spanish Bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Mundo, since 2006. She managed to do exclusive interviews and also mastered the radio console during live shows for the interactive radio program, BBC Enlace while in college. But this goes further back. Her passion for the televised journalistic world was very distinguished when she begged her high school to create the radio announcements into their first televised announcements morning show.  She of course became one of the school’s “anchors” to launch the morning news show in every classroom every day of the school year! Later on in college started up University of Miami’s first entertainment show with her sister that also broadcasted locally in the city. The sisters both enjoyed hosting the show together!

Vanessa also loves the art of role interpretation too, acting! In 2007 she did an important audition which landed her on supporting acting roles in various Telemundo soap operas like “El Rostro de Analia”, “Pecados Ajenos”, and “Mas Sabe el Diablo” working alongside the protagonists of the novelas many times.

Starting in 2006 till 2008, she worked as an associated producer for Univision’s “Premios Lo Nuestro and “Premios Juventud”, where she had the privilege to work with famous musicians like Pitbull, Shakira, and Ricky Martin.

Vanessa has been a certified fitness and Zumba instructor and is a great advocate for a healthy mind and body lifestyle. Her fitness  teaching experience started at the University of Miami Wellness Center and ranges from coaching water aerobics for the elderly to intense boot camp classes to the fun dance cardio classes.

She obtained her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism and Theater Arts, from the University of Miami.  She is currently more than half way through completing her meteorology degree with Mississippi State University. Vanessa’s passion for weather grew from when as a little girl she saw the devastation from Hurricane Andrew in Florida. From that moment on, a lot of her science projects won awards and they all had to do with Tornados, Hurricanes, etc. She loves to analyze mother nature and is honored to have the power to inform and alert our community with the correct precautions. She also enjoys exploring natural weather hazards by storm chasing since 2010.

You can also catch Vanessa in various charity/community events as an Emcee or simply as a volunteer! She loves to lend a hand when possible.

Vanessa is married to an airline pilot. They have a fur baby named Tex (Golden/Lab mix) and a baby girl on the way! Stay tuned with all her adventures by following her on social media (links at the top of page).

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou