San Antonio native credits OLLU’s faith-based education, mentorship and student journalism opportunities for helping launch an international journalism career
For Angélica Casas, the road to becoming a senior video journalist with BBC News began on San Antonio’s West Side, where a university grounded in faith, community and service helped a young Latina discover that her aspirations extended far beyond what she once imagined possible.
Today, the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) alumna reports on some of the nation’s most consequential stories for an international audience, from immigration and natural disasters to mass shootings and the resilience of communities facing extraordinary challenges.
But despite nearly a decade with one of the world’s most recognized news organizations, Casas has never forgotten where her journey began.
Born and raised in San Antonio by a single mother, Casas grew up knowing that a college education would require determination, scholarships and financial assistance. She and her twin sister worked hard academically, understanding that their futures depended largely on the opportunities they could create for themselves.
When choosing a university, Casas was drawn to OLLU for its Catholic identity, predominantly Hispanic student population, location on the West Side and generous financial aid package.
“The fact that there is an institution that’s also majority Hispanic and also rooted in faith was very important to me,” Casas said.
Beyond those practical considerations, she found something equally meaningful: a sense of belonging.
“The West Side has always felt like home to me,” she said, recalling her family connections and her parish, St. Jude Catholic Church. “It just felt like home, really. And even throughout my four years, that’s what it always felt like.”
Finding Her Voice at OLLU
Casas arrived at OLLU already interested in journalism, a passion that developed while working on her high school newspaper. Although naturally introverted, she discovered that reporting gave her the confidence to approach strangers, ask questions and learn about their experiences.
At OLLU, that curiosity evolved into professional skills through classroom instruction, internships and hands-on reporting for The Lake Front, the university’s student newspaper.
Professor Kay O’Donnell encouraged Casas to join the newspaper during her first year. She remained involved throughout college, eventually serving as editor-in-chief during her junior and senior years.
Leading the student newsroom proved transformative.
“That played a huge role in my confidence as a reporter and also just gaining so much leadership skills from then being able to lead a small newsroom,” Casas said.
The experience taught her how to manage reporters, provide editorial feedback and make decisions about news coverage — responsibilities remarkably similar to those she now holds at the BBC.
Casas also credits Spanish professor Dr. Maribel Larraga for encouraging her to pursue Spanish-language journalism opportunities and strengthening her connection to her cultural identity.
Through internships with local Spanish-language and bilingual news publications, including La Prensa and the San Antonio Express-News’ Conexión, Casas developed a deeper understanding of the importance of serving communities that might otherwise be overlooked by mainstream news organizations.
Growing up with an immigrant mother who relied on Spanish-language news further reinforced that commitment.
Her experiences studying, traveling by VIA bus and conducting interviews throughout the West Side helped shape the journalist she would become.
“I was always walking through the West Side streets and getting to know a lot of people, even at the bus stop,” she recalled.
Those experiences inspired a larger ambition: to work in national or international journalism while continuing to tell stories about communities like the one that raised her.
Opening Doors Beyond San Antonio
Another important turning point came through OLLU’s McNair Scholars Program, which introduced Casas to graduate education and opportunities she had never considered attainable.
Through campus visits, mentorship and guidance with scholarship and graduate school applications, the program helped her envision a future beyond San Antonio.
After graduating from OLLU in 2015 with degrees in Mass Communication and Spanish, Casas continued her education at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a master’s degree in journalism.
It was her first time living away from home.
Yet she arrived confident in her abilities, thanks to the practical experience and leadership opportunities she received at OLLU.
“I just felt so prepared to hit the road running with reporting because of what I learned at OLLU,” she said.
While at Berkeley, Casas interned at the San Francisco Chronicle and pursued reporting opportunities throughout the United States and Mexico. Those experiences eventually helped open the door to BBC News, which she joined in 2017.
Looking back, she sees the progression from OLLU to Berkeley to the BBC as interconnected, with each opportunity building upon the previous one.
Reporting the Stories That Matter
Now based in her hometown, Casas is one of the BBC’s few U.S. journalists working outside its major newsroom hubs and serves as the organization’s Texas-based correspondent for video reporting.
Her responsibilities extend well beyond conducting interviews and producing video stories. As a senior video journalist, she also helps oversee other journalists, provides editorial guidance, commissions stories and contributes to decisions about video coverage published on the BBC’s digital platforms.
Her reporting has taken her to the front lines of some of the country’s most difficult events, including the Uvalde school shooting, catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country and the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart.
That El Paso assignment remains among the most emotionally difficult of her career.
As a Latina journalist, Casas found the tragedy particularly personal. Yet amid the grief, she also witnessed powerful expressions of solidarity and hope, including a mariachi performance of “Amor Eterno” at a vigil honoring the victims — footage she captured that subsequently went viral.
“I feel like in the middle of tragedy, I was able to capture a lot of hope in my reporting as well,” she said.
While much of her work involves covering tragedy and difficult circumstances, Casas is equally committed to documenting resilience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, she reported on San Antonio families confronting loss, health challenges and uncertainty, highlighting how communities persevered.
Her approach to video storytelling emphasizes authenticity and allowing people to share their experiences in their own words.
“I just let people speak for themselves,” she said. “I want my video to really transport the audience to these places.”
Bringing a Different Perspective to the Newsroom
Casas acknowledges that establishing herself in international journalism was not without challenges.
When she joined the BBC, she was the only Latina and Spanish speaker in her newsroom. At times, she questioned whether she belonged, experiencing the self-doubt often described as imposter syndrome.
Rather than abandon her perspective, she leaned into it.
She consistently advocated for stories about Latino communities, immigration and people whose experiences were not always reflected in national news coverage.
Her cultural identity and upbringing became assets that helped broaden the perspectives represented in the newsroom.
For Casas, being a journalist from San Antonio’s West Side is not something she has had to overcome. It is central to what makes her reporting meaningful.
Advice for the Next Generation of Saints
For OLLU students hoping to follow in her footsteps, Casas emphasizes two essential qualities: curiosity and adaptability.
“Definitely curiosity,” she said. “I feel like I wouldn’t have gotten to the level of reporting that I do if not for curiosity and just being genuinely open to asking questions and to wanting to learn more.”
She also encourages students to remain flexible as technology, storytelling formats and audience habits continue to transform journalism.
Most importantly, she wants students — particularly those who may question whether prestigious opportunities are within reach — to recognize the value of their own experiences.
“I would tell them to look at my story,” Casas said. “I think it’s possible as long as you’re confident in what you want to do.”
Her message is grounded in the same values that guided her as an undergraduate: remain authentic, stay connected to your community and never underestimate the education and experiences gained at OLLU.
“Just don’t lose yourself in the process,” she said.
Today, Casas is back in San Antonio, telling Texas stories for a global audience while continuing to draw on the foundation she developed at OLLU.
Her connection to the university remains deeply personal. She still proudly displays an OLLU alumni license plate frame on her car, a small but meaningful reminder of the institution that helped shape her future.
For Casas, being a Saint means carrying forward the values of faith, service and education — no matter how far a career may take her.
“Service has always been at the heart of the type of journalism that I want to do,” she said. “And I learned that from my time at Our Lady of the Lake.”