SUNNYSIDE GIRL OVERCOMES POVERTY, DAD’S ADDICTIONS TO ACHIEVE DREAMS

When Kristina Guerrero was growing up, people would laugh at her when she proclaimed that someday she would be a TV star. But the daughter of an addict father would not let poverty and frequent moves deter her from her dream.

Since graduating from the University of Southern California , Kristina has been a co-host for a national talk show, had her own local show in San Antonio , worked as a news correspondent for the national “Inside Edition” TV show and now correspondent and host for E! Entertainment’s “Daily 10.” The 29-year-old works alongside Ryan Seacrest of the top-rated “American Idol” and already earns more than double in salary what her former high school principal or college professors make.

But Kristina values the lessons she learned growing up when her mom couldn’t afford to buy Christmas presents.

“My mom raised five kids on her own. It's amazing how she did that when I can barely take care of myself,” says Kristina. “We were poor but always happy and had what we needed.  I had to grow up early, as many kids in my situation do.  My father was an alcoholic. There was a time we lived in a domestic violence shelter. And I didn't have my own bed until I was well into high school. ...The list of hard knocks goes on and on.”

Her mom, Delma Guerrero-Harvey, was afraid because her ex-husband’s drug and alcohol addictions frequently put her children and her own life in jeopardy, so after 17 years she finally left him once and for all. Delma moved back from California to Washington State with her five children, where she could work the fields to supplement her small secretarial salary. Kristina was older by then and could also help some in the fields.

In high school Kristina also began working as a waitress to earn the money she would need for college. She graduated from Sunnyside High School and was the first in her family to attend a university, starting with University of Washington (UW).

UW does not have a broadcasting program, but Kristina arranged to serve a low-paid internship with KOMO-TV. She worked as a “gopher” and didn’t make much money, but she began developing mentors who would teach her and work with her on camera.

Kristina decided she needed not only to go to a university with a broadcasting program, but she had to go to the very best. So she moved to California without a job, without anyplace to live, not yet accepted into the University of Southern California (USC) Broadcasting School , and with no money for the school’s high tuition.

“Challenges seem to have a negative connotation, but there has been nothing negative about my journey,” Kristina says. “Tough at the time?  Sure.  But my challenges have always been blessings.”

Kristina gives some examples.

“I could say a challenge for me was people who didn't believe in me -- they told me my dreams were crazy and I should just settle,” she says. “But it was those people who kept me driving towards the goal – with an ‘I'll show them’ mentality.

“I could also say growing up poor was a challenge, but that taught me that if I wanted to make my dreams come true, I needed to work extra hard,” Kristina says.  “Nobody was ever going to just hand it to me.

“Rejection could also be considered a challenge, but that was just God's way of telling me ‘this’ wasn't my time,” she adds. “I lived in my car for a while when I was in college. It was a challenge to study for midterms in a 1999 Ford Escort.  That was tough -- but one great story to tell!”  

Kristina says attitude is everything.

“Life is a matter of perspective,” she says. “If you see challenges as ‘road blocks,’ then you'll constantly encounter road blocks until you finally give up.  But if you see 'challenges' as opportunities, then imagine how many opportunities life will put in your path!”

Kristina was willing to work hard, but she also worked smart. She instinctively understood the value of hands-on, practical experience, and the value of developing good mentors.

She worked part-time as a waitress and then used her KOMO-TV contacts to get another gopher-type job at the Fox affiliate in Los Angeles . There, again, she developed mentors who would teach her and allow her to practice on camera.

That practical experience led to her being chosen the host of an interview show on USC’s TV station, and the Fox affiliate began giving her new responsibilities, as well. Then, about the time she graduated from USC, she was hired by a cable network, SiTV, to co-host a talk show, “The Rub.” She also did some part-time reporting for “Access Hollywood.”

Her big break came in 2005 when she was hired to host a morning show in San Antonio, called “Great Day, S.A.,” which surpassed such competing shows as “Regis and Kelly” in local viewer ratings.

Over the years she has had the opportunity to interview such people as Jim Carey, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Horrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Rodriguez, Diane Keaton and Kirk Douglas. She covers such events as the Super Bowl, the Golden Globe Awards, the “American Idol” finals, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Kristina urges other “at-risk” students not to accept the fate society tries to force on them.

“Dream big,” she says. “Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something.  Follow your dreams, and believe in yourself.  We were each put on this earth for a very special reason.  Find out what your purpose is and make good on your opportunities. 

“Never take on the ‘victim role,’” she adds. “And, finally, EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION!  Arm yourself with a solid foundation, and no one will be able to knock you down.”

Kristina is the stepdaughter of KIMEP Professor Ken Harvey, but he is the first to admit he had little to do with her success.

“I married her mom after Kristina was already in college and living on her own, so any role I played was very minor,” says Harvey . “My wife, on the other hand, undoubtedly had a big impact. They may have been poor, but my wife’s unconditional love of her children helps them all gain a sense of high self-esteem and self-confidence.

“Kryss also gets from her mom her willingness to work hard and to sacrifice for things she values, and her ability to roll with the punches, no matter how hard things get,” Harvey says.

And, of course, Kristina is still dreaming bigger dreams.

“I am a dreamer,” she says. “I believe I can achieve anything I want in life. I never take 'no' for an answer, and my determination far surpasses any doubt I ever feel.”

Kristina was recently married to TV/movie producer Gibby Cevallos, co-creator of "Brothers Garcia" on Nickelodeon and partner with Eva Longoria Parker on several recent projects, including a documentary currently in production about successful former migrant students..

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