One of Alex Perez's all-time favorite stories as a broadcast journalist was actually one of his first as a reporter for WMAQ-TV, the NBC affiliate in his hometown: Chicago.
It was a piece about childhood obesity, 'and was very rewarding in many ways,' he said.
Many personal ways, that is.
Perez, you see, was born and raised in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and was himself an obese child. For many of his teen years, he was fat, topping at 356 pounds.
'I knew that, if I was going to be successful as a TV journalist, that there's a certain image that comes along with that [ job ] —and I had to have the discipline to lose the weight,' said the 6ƈ' Perez, who started shedding weight in college and now, at 27, is 198 pounds.
Clearly, Perez is a success story, and not just for overcoming his weight issues.
He's a Chicagoan who also has overcome obstacles related to ethnicity, language and sexuality en route to one of the top jobs in his profession.
Perez will be honored Fri., Oct. 12, at Runway ALMA, the annual benefit for the Association of Latino Men for Action ( ALMA ) . The event will be held at Germania Place, near the intersection of Clark Street and North Avenue.
'I've received awards previously, but this is a highlight, something great,' Perez said. 'It's somewhat humbling to see so many people, especially your peers, regard you so highly. To hear from others that your work and what you do is inspirational, without you intending to do so, that is a great feeling.
'Just to be considered [ for the award ] is great. If I can, in some small way, help someone, then it makes me feel good.'
Perez joined WMAQ from KVIA in El Paso, Texas. He also previously worked two years for KVIA's bureau in Las Cruces, N.M.
'I'm very fortunate to work in a business in which people basically have to have an open mind. For my job, I don't think my sexuality or the color of my skin even comes up with my co-workers,' Perez said.
'Chicago has always been a city of neighborhoods, and I think that's a great part of the city. Chicago as a city is far, far advanced from other big cities when it comes to having an organized gay community, an organized [ gay ] presence. The mayor was at the Gay Games [ and ] puts an ad out every year for Pride Month. I think there's a lot of support for the gay community in Chicago.
'On the other hand, I do think there are many people in Chicago who are not aware of the gay community, are not aware of what the city's all about. For my job, I travel to all different parts of the city, and it seems like there are many people in Chicago, for whatever reason, who just are not aware of the gay [ parts of town. ] '
Perez currently resides in the Lakeview neighborhood. 'In Lakeview, we're very fortunate to have one of the highest concentrations of 18-to-34 year-olds, one of the most open-minded communities that has a lot to offer, not only on face value, but culturally-speaking,' he said. 'It's been a great experience being able to live in Lakeview, to be around so many different people, so many different types of people: Black, white, Hispanic, straight, gay, lesbian, everything. And that's something you don't see in all parts of the city. That harmony certainly can be appreciated.'
