St. John's Alumna grateful for the education she received.
Reflecting upon her two decades-long career in the largest media market in the country, Liz Faublas ’91SVC credits St. John’s for teaching her the “art of communication.” The Brooklyn, NY, native is the solo anchor of Currents News, a half-hour evening news broadcast dedicated to reporting from the perspective of the Catholic faith.
Airing on New Evangelization Television (NET-TV), the premier Catholic network sponsored by the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Ms. Faublas presides over the anchor desk covering national news and human interest stories. She has reported from places as far away as Vatican City on Church-related issues.
“When I reflect upon the many stories I have covered over the years, I am continually grateful for the education I received at St. John’s—the place that truly set my career in motion,” said Ms. Faublas. As an undergraduate studying Communication Arts and Business, she honed her communication skills as a member of the Television Club and as a champion competitor on the Speech and Debate team. She credits the skillset she relies upon today to her Speech and Debate coach, the late James J. Hall, Sr. “Professor Hall was the most influential faculty mentor I encountered during my student years,” Ms. Faublas said. “He taught me to speak up, speak out, and speak well. Most importantly, he cultivated my love of news and helped me understand that there is power in the art of communication.”
“Upon graduation from St. John’s, people advised me that the best way to break into broadcast journalism was to start in a remote television market with a small audience reach. I did not heed that advice, although maybe I should have, but thankfully, it worked out,” said Ms. Faublas. Facing a tough job market that was still reeling from a recession, Ms. Faublas secured a position at the New York City-based global media company, Time Warner, Inc., within months of earning her degree.
She later mastered the craft of journalism further at NY1, and eventually, at the network level, as a segment producer for NBC’s flagship morning program, TODAY. Ms. Faublas then joined Bloomberg Television. It was there she first stepped in front of the camera, reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Faublas reported both in-depth stories during the housing market crash in 2008, in addition to live breaking news such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
She credits her parents, immigrants from Haiti, for encouraging a disciplined work ethic and providing a loving example that still guides her today, and for supporting the role she takes most seriously: that of being a mother. “I was able to balance a demanding career in television and motherhood because my own parents were there for me.”
Ms. Faublas regularly returns to St. John’s as a guest lecturer and she is a mentor in the St. John’s University Connections platform—an online community where the University’s ASPIRE Mentor Program and Job Shadowing Program are housed. She also travels throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn as a motivational speaker and serves as a mentor to young students, telling them to “be fearless” and always “be willing to learn new things, whether personally or professionally.”
A deeper appreciation for Haitian culture was revitalized for Ms. Faublas after a series of natural disasters impacted her ancestral homeland. As a recognized leader in Brooklyn’s Catholic Haitian community, she has helped to organize and publicize relief efforts for the country with the nonprofit organization From Here to Haiti, LTD.
When asked about her long-term goals, Ms. Faublas remarked that she wants, “to always bring a faith-based perspective to my career and my life.”