María Celeste Arrarás | |
---|---|
Born |
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
27 September 1960
Residence | Miami, FL |
Other names | María Celeste |
Occupation | Journalist, author, and television personality |
Known for | Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste and Noticiero Telemundo |
Website | http://mariaceleste.com |
María Celeste Arrarás (born 27 September 1960 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico), better known as María Celeste, is a Puerto Rican broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Arrarás was selected for the cover of "Newsweek" magazine, who named her as one of the “20 Most Powerful Women” of the next generation of leaders. Arrarás has won three Emmy Awards for journalism. Currently, Arrarás serves as the host and managing editor of Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste, which airs in the U.S. and in 15 Latin American countries, and has a daily audience of 35 million viewers.
María Celeste Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, the first child of José Enrique Arrarás, a respected politician, lawyer, and educator, and Astrid Mangual, a homemaker and chemist. The family later grew, with Arrarás has eight siblings, including two born from her mother’s remarriage.
In 1971, she won three medals (one gold, one silver, and one bronze) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships. She qualified to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, but was unable to compete after she contracted infectious mononucleosis.
In 1978, Arrarás left her native Puerto Rico to attend Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in Communications, and four years later graduated with honors. In 2016, Arrarás returned to her alma mater, where she was inducted into the School of Mass Communication's Den of Distinction and was honored by the university for her career in television.
Arrarás began her broadcasting career in 1986 when she was employed by a local Puerto Rican television station, Channel 24, as a news anchor and reporter. There, Arrarás traveled covering major news events, such as the fall of the Soviet Union in Moscow and Leningrad, and she received several journalistic awards for her reports. In 1987 the Univision affiliate in New York City hired her as the co-anchor of its local news show.
Shortly after being hired by Univision, Arrarás became Los Angeles Bureau Chief. In January 1990, when the network moved to Miami, she was named the national news anchor for Noticiero Univision weekend edition.