“I think the professors in the School of Communication had a huge impact on me. Their suggestions about internships and guidance after graduation have helped shape my career path.”
Kristie Mayes Borges '93 is originally from Middletown, R.I., and now lives in Southington, Conn. with her husband, David, and their two children.
Describe a few of your career highlights so far.
I have produced the news for the past 26 years, working in Hartford, Boston, Providence, and Baltimore. I've won several awards, including an Emmy and Peabody while working at NBC Connecticut.
I've produced numerous live specials including Baltimore OpSail in 2000, a Preakness Preview, the New Haven tree lighting, and countless hours of live coverage during snowstorms and blizzards. I've also produced several specials on fire safety, hurricane seasons, and winter weather in Connecticut.
I've been a part of history, producing the news during and after several major historical events including the death of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the plane crash involving John F. Kennedy Jr. on Sept. 11, the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school, the Station Nightclub fire, the Boston Marathon bombing, and major weather events. I also launched the 4 p.m. news at NBC Connecticut.
What are your favorite memories from UHart?
I loved painting the anchor with my sorority Alpha Xi Delta and putting the rocks in the river. It was always fun to attend the basketball games and Spring Fling.
I was part of the group of students who launched STN; I was its first producer, and it's amazing to see STN continue to provide students the opportunity to learn how to do live television.
When we moved back to Connecticut, it was my college roommates with whom I connected first and moved to the same town where they were living. I love that 26 years after graduating from the University of Hartford, I am still friends with many of my classmates and roommates.
Can you pinpoint anything during your college years that put you on track to be where you are today?
The defining moment of my college years that put me on track to where I am today was my chance to do numerous internships. I can trace my jobs in the television industry through connections I made at my internships. I was able to take two weeks off from classes my senior year to produce the News at 10 at Fox 61, because the station needed a producer to cover a vacation. I was recommended to the news director after my internship.
The Monday after I graduated, I started my first full-time job at WPRI-TV in East Providence, R.I. I had interned there and the station had an opening for an associate producer. Some of my closest friends today are those whom I met at my internships during college. I also think the professors in the School of Communication had a huge impact on me. Their suggestions about internships and guidance after graduation have helped shape my career path.
What do you enjoy most about being on the Alumni Board?
It was so much fun to be an ambassador for the University of Hartford on Hawktober Weekend. With other members of the board, we engaged with new parents and current students to hear about their experiences so far at the University of Hartford. I've also enjoyed connecting with alumni from years before and after me.
Recently, I was asked to call a student who was waiting to hear if she would get in early-decision. It was exciting to hear why she wanted to attend the University of Hartford. I like connecting with people whom I might otherwise have never met.