Q. What is your favorite part about being Latina?
A. Learning about our ancestry and the generations that came before us is at the top of my list. I think it’s important to remember that we were not born in a vacuum and that history did not commence the day we arrived on the planet. Whenever someone asks me where I’m from, I pause because my parents are true globetrotters, and I grew up moving to a new country every two or three years. By age 15, I had lived in seven different countries, mainly in Latin America.
Q. What is it like to grow up “around the world”?
A. It was a dream. My dad is from Colombia, my mom is from the States, and I was born in Venezuela. We moved a lot but went back to Venezuela and lived there during very formative years of my life so, it’s the place that feels like home. Knowing where we came from was important because it kept us grounded as we moved around the world.
Q. What is your superpower?
A. I have an excellent memory, partly because the timeline of my life is very punctuated. My childhood was not a continuous blur where the years fell into each other. We lived in each country for two to three years. So, I have very distinct memories of when I was seven years old, living in Manila, in the Philippines, and then two years later, moving to Tokyo, Japan, a significantly different place from the Philippines. It’s helped me punctuate my life with a lot of exclamation marks. Now, in this stage of my life, I’ve taken a deep dive into art, and I’ve been able to do it partly because I have this rich visual archive in my brain. Empathy is my other important superpower. It comes from living in different cultures over the years and experiencing diversity up close. I was so lucky to go to college at Cornell (University), a truly global institution.
Q. Tell us about a time you were underestimated.
A. Working at CNN en Español, we were sometimes underestimated by colleagues who thought of us as lesser. I was there by choice. I am perfectly capable of navigating the Anglo world, but I chose to stay there because I felt a commitment to my roots and to proving that there could be excellence in that space. Over time, the feeling of being underestimated changed as we became the “go-to” people for many things, including our coverage of Latino immigrants in this country.
Q. Before becoming a full-time artist, you held an important leadership position at CNN Español. Tell us about the journey to that position and the parts of the work that spoke to you, given your background.
A. I worked at CNN for 22 years. When I left, I was the bureau chief in New York for CNN en Español. For most of my time at CNN, I worked on the Spanish language side. I had many opportunities to switch over to the English language side and didn’t because I felt such a strong commitment for it to be just as excellent and with as high standards as all the units at CNN. In Latin America, CNN has been the outlet of record in a region that struggles with democracy.
Q. Tell us about your transition to full-time artist. Are there parallels from your previous work that have been helpful?
A. I was always a kid who drew on any little space I could find- margins of notebooks, etc. I always had the interest, but never had the time. When I left CNN, it seemed like I could hit pause for a second and deep dive into that and the timing was bizarre because it was just before the pandemic. It was a perfect time to take a deep dive into my creative side. I did an artist residency in a 100-year-old goat barn in Connecticut and fully focused on my art, which is a constant exploration and evolution. Since it’s hard to make money as an artist, I’m glad I have these other skills to fall back on. Once you have worked in TV news, it’s almost like there’s nothing you can’t do.If you don’t know how to do it, you know that you can figure it out by 6pm. People have been very generous with their time and their expertise in this transition. I used to call places, and doors would open because I said CNN. I don’t do that anymore, and people are still willing to help.
Q. For our readers who may be contemplating a change- was there ever a moment where you second-guessed your decision?
A. Sometimes we identify so closely with our jobs or our career. I certainly did with CNN — and when I left there was an abyss. Like who am I? What am I doing? I can no longer pick up the phone and say it’s Patricia Pedraza from CNN. But then I quickly realized that you take your skills and experiences with you and apply them to whatever your next gig is in so many ways. So, there’s many reasons why people might want to make a change. I would say don’t be scared. Believe in yourself, and you will figure it out.
Q. Who is another Latina we should feature on Informada?
A. Rossana Rosado. She is a journalist who has been an editor, a publisher, a producer and served as Secretary of State of New York during the Andrew Cuomo administration. At an important point in my career, she added me to a list of up-and-coming Latinas in the news world, which was a huge honor and gave me credibility. She also made me realize that you’re not giving up anything when you help other women behind you.