Working behind the scenes at KTVN, a CBS television affiliate in Reno, Western Nevada College and Oasis Academy alum Kaylynn Perez has quickly climbed the ladder from associate producer to producer of the stations 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. news broadcasts.
The quick pace of the news is nothing new to Perez. The exceptional student graduated from Oasis Academy in 2019, earning both her high school diploma and Associate of Arts degree from Western Nevada College. Then, in just two years, graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2021.
I went straight to work! I didnt want to waste any time getting a job in the field I studied. I wanted all those hours at the Journalism school to pay off! said Perez, who averages working 60 hours a week in a job she loves.
The news producer has also looked into the future to identify where she wants her career to land.
I have plans to work more in investigative and crime news. Id really love to make crime documentaries and be able to spend time putting together crime stories, Perez said. Im a true crime junkie, what can I say! As an investigative journalist I would love to be able to meet people from all over and share their stories especially if they survived something traumatic or be able to help a family who may have lost a loved one.
If she can help others while conducting investigations, all the better.
Sometimes journalists help piece together a case alongside police. And Id love to be able to produce documentaries on big headline stories. Having my name on a Netflix series is the dream.
Eventually moving to a bigger market in her favorite city, San Francisco is part of making this dream a reality.
Perez also has a soft spot for politics and considered a future in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. is the news capital of the world and Ive always felt a calling there. Ive had some journalist friends who moved there recently and its always in the back of my mind, she added.
While both of these career moves are possible, Perez has learned two things while working in news. The first is: Nothing is permanent! Its OK to not be sure you want to do something forever. My true goal is to let my career take me where it takes it, she explained.
The second is: Do what makes you happy! Life is more than money and making sure you can afford that big house with a picket fence. There is a saying in the news world We aint here to get rich. Journalists dont make much, but we do it because we love it. I started to feel insecure for a while because I knew people going on to be doctors or engineers or therapists who would be making way more money.
Eventually Perez realized that excitement her profession provides and her love for it override any other factors.
While I first started out making less than my restaurant job, I soon realized, I LOVE my job. And thats all that matters, she said. I come in every day with something new. News is constantly changing, my job is constantly changing. I get to write stories about kids helping the food bank, and veterans holding a memorial for their fallen friends, and I get to send reporters to crazy fires in Lake Tahoe. And inform ALL of Northern Nevada of what is going on in their state. I get to talk to CBS reporters and producers in Washington D.C. and New York to organize live shots from the White House or Uvalde, Texas. I get to see crazy footage from wars overseas all from my little desk in Reno, Nevada! And I love it! While I dont make as much as I could doing some other office job I would never trade it for the world.
Being happy and pursuing her dreams matter most to Perez.
You need to put your dreams and happiness first. Again, nothing is permanent. There is no written rule in life that says you have to do something forever. Do it because it makes you happy and if it doesnt make you happy anymore, dont stay. You are free to move on to a new job, new workplace, new career, she said.
Her final advice to students it that no one should ever be miserable in life because of their job. There will be bad days. But love what you do and have a passion for what you do! And dont let anyone make you feel indifferent about your dreams.

Story written by Oasis Academy Public Relations Coordinator Angela Viera