Michael Treviño, Culturally Connected

The journalist reflects on his diverse background and his search to experience new cultures.

By: Mada Brielmaier | November 7, 2019

When an invisible catapult launches us into a new culture, everyone reacts differently. From coming to a new school to traveling across the world, cultural differences can divide and alienate us. The adjustment forces us to feel vulnerable and unaware of our surroundings and we can end up lost or confused about our place.

Treviño enjoys the musical vibes of the KSLU studio

Although this may be true for some, Michael Treviño is no stranger to the exhilarating feeling of experiencing various cultures.

Born in San Antonio, Texas to a family of Mexican and American heritage, Trevino valued what each culture brought to his identity and his upbringing. The blend of ethnicities fueled his desire to communicate and learn to share people’s stories in a truthful, authentic way.

Treviño quickly learned physical therapy was not his calling when he first came to college. Out of the chaos of growing up among five siblings and interacting with the world through travel, Treviño sought out an outlet for his creative instincts. His ambition led him to taking journalism courses, where he would embrace his culture and himself through communication in the classroom.

“Being in a radically different environment forced me to stop and take a measure of who I am and what I wanted to do and be. Becoming more of myself.”

Treviño makes it no secret about his incredible ambition. His poised posture reflects his engagement and enthusiasm for learning. From the way he discusses his blend of cultures to his love for music, you can see the passion stream from his expressions and carefully chosen words.

As a guitarist from an early age, he demonstrated his love for communication through songwriting and telling stories through music. Classical rock is a subculture, that influences over his passion projects and thrives as the motivation for his learning.

“Songwriting wise: Paul Simon and Elton John. Music I like to listen to? Anything and everything.”

Treviño’s open nature toward discovery pushes his ambition to see what challenges lie ahead.

His drive for creating and curating music compliments the ideas he shares with his passion for exploring communication and journalism. Treviño’s rich background, from living with ethnically diverse family members, reveals his passion for connecting cultures and stories through travel and his future career.

Treviño’s interest in jumpstarting his career lends to his undeniable learning ethic and his ability to continually stretch his knowledge through language and travel. A former Madrid study abroad student, Treviño got the itch for travel and experiencing new global perspectives at an early age.

“I really want to work in Latin America for a while. And if I could do something where I am an American correspondent for a Latin American news organization or a Latin American correspondent for an American news organization. I would get to use all these skills and bring it all together.”

Michael Treviño, a journalist, bi-lingual (working on tri-lingual) student who is looking toward a future where he can represent his own culture, while seeking new experiences to continue his path as a global learner, says Treviño, “For the time being, I am very restless.”