Alicia Roberts Zumpino
MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Becoming the first in my family to graduate from college while self-financing my education was a huge accomplishment. In addition, I was the first in my family to earn a postgraduate degree, graduating debt free from Drexel thanks in part to scholarships I earned as Miss Philadelphia 2003 and first runner up at Miss Pennsylvania, a local Miss America affiliate. As an on-air TV broadcast journalist, I have had an incredible career as an anchor and sports reporter working for affiliates with NBC (Tampa), ABC (Cleveland) and CBS (Atlanta) as well as the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves and Falcons. Highlights in my career include covering the 2008 World Series when the Phillies beat the Rays to win the championship, as well as the 2008 and 2016 elections, 2009 Super Bowl and 2017 Rose Bowl. My favorite part of the job is connecting with the people in the communities I work. I volunteer with many organizations and try to use the platform I have for positive change. For example, I am active in my community serving as an ambassador for the American Heart Association. Three months before I graduated from Drexel, my father passed away suddenly from a heart attack at age 54. Heart health is a message I champion for him and so many who are at risk. Finally, I am a proud “rescue mom” and volunteer my time with local animal shelters including PAWS (Chicago) and Best Friends (Atlanta). I also serve on the board of directors for the Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization.
HOW DREXEL HELPED: Drexel allowed me to study my field in a way that deepened and broadened my knowledge base. My job forces me to think critically about a variety of topics every day from politics, business, religion, and culture and repurpose information quickly and accurately. Drexel’s curriculum gave me the chance to do that with professors who brought “real-world” experiences into the classroom. One of my favorite classes featured the then–Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia who challenged us to break down policy headlines from the perspective of civil, moral, financial and resource considerations.
WHERE I’ll BE IN FIVE YEARS: Anchoring full-time at a network affiliate.
