Alumni Spotlight: Ariel Weil ‘17
At 4:00 a.m., while most of the city is still asleep, Ariel is already building a live broadcast from the ground up. As the weekday 10 a.m. producer at Local 10 News, one of Miami’s major news stations, Ariel is responsible for shaping the entire broadcast.
“I begin with building my show rundown, a minute-by-minute blueprint of the newscast,” she explains. “I decide which stories air, how they are ordered and presented, all while coordinating with field reporters, writing anchor scripts, and overseeing graphics for a cohesive flow.”
When the show goes live, Ariel is in the control room leading it all. “As stories shift or breaking news develops, I make split-second editorial decisions to keep the broadcast accurate and seamless.”
“What I love most about my job is that it’s fast-paced, unpredictable, and high-stakes,” she adds. “I also love having creative ownership and the ability to have my voice reach a large audience.”
“Schechter prepared me for high school and beyond by teaching me how to find my voice and think critically,” she says. “At Schechter, I gained the confidence to speak up, ask questions, and trust that what I had to say mattered.”
Ariel points to the foundation she received at Schechter as something that has shaped everything since. “Building a strong personal and religious identity from a young age gave me a real sense of who I am.”
Her path into journalism may not have been obvious at age five, but in hindsight, she says it fits. “I’ve always been outspoken, decisive, and comfortable taking charge, so me telling people what to do for a living isn’t all that surprising.”
At the University of Miami, where she majored in broadcast journalism and was a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority, that instinct turned into a passion. “That’s where I fell in love with storytelling,” she says. Through hands-on experience with student newscasts and an internship at NBC in New York, she found her direction and never looked back, moving quickly through the ranks.
“I’m most proud of getting my own show less than a year after graduating in a major TV market. I started as a writer and took on overnight and weekend shifts to learn as much as possible.”
“When I got out of school, it felt like I was missing a lot, but it pushed me to learn quickly and really grow into the job,” she adds. Within months, Ariel was producing her own show. Now she is focused on continuing to develop the show and make it her own.
Even with a packed schedule, Ariel finds ways to stay grounded. “In my free time, I love going to see music, spending time with my cat Simba, cooking, listening to audiobooks and traveling. I’m also a sculpt instructor at CorePower Yoga three times a week.”
Ask Ariel what stands out most from her Schechter experience, and she quickly points out the relationships she developed during her K-8 years. “I’m lucky to still call so many of my classmates my best friends,” she says, giving special shout outs to Noa Friedland, Carly Winick, Ilana Eydelman, and Emma Fishbein. “They’ve been with me through every phase of life and are people I know will always be in my corner. They’ve become the blueprint for every relationship I’ve had since childhood, and the bar was definitely set high.”
At its core, Schechter continues to shape how Ariel sees herself and her place in the world. “Schechter shaped who I am by teaching me to take pride in my Judaism. More than anything, Schechter showed me the importance of having a strong support system and how deeply a community can shape and support you throughout life.”
And if she could go back and talk to her younger self?
“I would tell my younger self that the things you think are holding you back or setting you apart will end up being your greatest strengths, so keep being yourself.”
