She's a veteran journalist with Guam roots, Laurie Perez has been in the business of delivering news for close to thirty years.

Perez is a multiple Emmy-nominated journalist currently reporting for KCAL News Los Angeles, where she's been for almost a decade

“This is the most recent stop. But I've been at stations all over the country. From the east coast to the south, the pacific northwest. I've worked for the network, now I'm back in local TV. I've been a news anchor. I've been a political talk show host. I've pretty much done it all,” She shared.

Perez grew up in Connecticut where there weren't too many CHamorus residing, but culture was still very much present in the household.

Both parents were born on Guam (her mom from Yigo and her dad is from Agana). Both graduated from George Washington high school.

Perez said, “We grew up with a very strong sense of where my parents came from and where our family comes from, continuing the traditions, eating the food, and very proud of our heritage. It's just been a central part of my life. Guam, to me, is my home.”

Her interest in news came from her parents who were big newspaper readers and watched the TV for the latest on current events.

“I was really just intrigued by the news, I liked to watch the news, I liked to peek over my parents' shoulders when they were reading the newspaper, so I was really into it,” Perez added.

She says she had always been intrigued both by television, radio, and newspaper news.

She said, “Even as a little kid, there was this woman on the radio, her name was Siyada Bagan and I would just mimic her saying this is 'Siyada Bagan reporting on scene....' just from the backseat of my parents' car.”

That memory, along with graduating from Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism and Tufts University would serve as a foundation to a career in which she had covered many notable and heartbreaking stories.

When asked if there was a story that really stuck out for her, she told us, “I've covered more mass shootings than I ever anticipated that I would. I was on the east coast at the time coincidently it was today that the Sandy Hook shooting. Since then, to have repeated that story in different locations, different states, it has had an impact on me both professionally and personally.”

In a job where she is covering such stories, self-care is important but Perez admits, although she doesn't do enough of it, to decompress she takes walks by the beach and makes sure to connect with her family.

She shared, “I really separate the two as much as I can so I do have some sort of release. At certain times I can get very embroiled in the news and I've literally had to say enough. I can't watch any more news, I can't read any more news, I can't to it anymore, I have to force myself to just do anything except that.”

She is true to her word though, she's pretty much done it all, even acting.

When she first arrived in LA, Perez found that reporters in the area would do acting roles for movies and TV shows because they're always looking to cast reporters to help transition the storyline.

One of her friends suggested that she audition. “I said what the heck? I'll do it. Wouldn't you know? I've been more television shows and movies , I can't even tell you...everytime it happens, I'm like, is this for real?! Is this really happening?”

She said it was that positivity and that sense of being hopeful that has helped her in her career and in her life.

“I’ve always been positive and hopeful and confident in knowing, I can do this. Whatever it is I'm trying to achieve, whether I’m trying to be a reporter, an anchor, or trying to take the next step, go to the next level, I've just been positive and had a positive spirit, and I think that has helped to propel me. Sometimes people will say no but keep asking, someone is going to say yes and give you a chance. If you just keep going and keep your head up, it will work out,” She added.