Vic Vela is a host and reporter for CPR News. Vic is a Colorado native and was the first member of his immediate family to attend college.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in speech communications, Metropolitan State University of Denver; graduate school, Walter Cronkite School for Journalism, Arizona State University.
Professional background:
Vic started his career as a sports anchor/reporter for an NBC affiliate in Texas. He also worked for newspapers, including as an investigative crime reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. He has covered government and politics in Colorado, and was a five-year member of the Colorado Capitol Press Corps.
Nowadays, Vic is a news and podcast host for Colorado Public Radio. He’s also an affiliate journalism professor at his alma mater.
For 15 years, Vic suffered from a crippling addiction to powder and crack cocaine. He’s been in recovery since 2015. After testing positive for HIV in 2006, the virus has long-been undetectable thanks to his rigorous adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
He’s the host of “Back from Broken,” a podcast about recovery and comeback stories from Colorado Public Radio.
Awards:
Vic is a four-time Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist and has won more than a dozen other journalism awards nationally and in the Rocky Mountain region. He’s also been recognized for his work advocating for mental health and addiction awareness and often tells his recovery story at health and wellness conferences across the country. In 2020, Vic was named the Colorado Media Person of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America.
As the Rockies try to put last season’s struggles behind them, Daniel Bard has emerged as an unlikely star and a lesson that when you get the yips, sometimes you just need to walk away for a while.
As both a student and a teacher, Jessica Dueñas found a sanctuary in the classroom. But her alcoholism made her reevaluate her priorities -- and the career she loved.
The Denver Nuggets have made a historic run in the NBA Playoffs. Next up is the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. No matter the outcome, I finally feel good again.
Colorado athletes and coaches are getting ready to start their leagues back up again amid the COVID-19 pandemic and many are planning to showcase their support for racial equality and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts was one of the most famous pro wrestlers of the 1980s. But behind the scenes he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and haunted by childhood abuse.