Meet Jennifer Tobias-Struski

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Tobias-Struski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jennifer , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I get my work ethic from my grandfather and my parents.
The path could have been never different for our family considering my mom and dad got married when they were 16 and started having kids at 16. My sister came first, then me and then my brother.
Both of my parents dropped out of high school, but they always worked hard to support us. I knew early on that work was done to provide for us. We didn’t grow up with a lot of material items, but I never felt like I was lacking any love. My mom eventually took a job as a custodian and I watched her work at our school while we in elementary so that she could keep us close after school and we were all together. My dad eventually got his GED and he has been at UPS for nearly 30 years. I always saw my mom and her fellow custodians as such hard workers. My mom cleaned vomit, scrubbed floors and helped with trays, but she always did it with a smile and she always took pride in her work. My dad sometimes worked two jobs to support us and I never knew any difference. I always see every person as a human, not as someone of a particular status. My mom worked hard and came home and cooked us home cooked meals and made sure we were all taken care of. My dad always made sure he was the best provider for us. My grandfather is another example of amazing leader and one fo the most ethical people I’ve ever met. My grandfather often tells us stories about his humble beginnings. He lived on a farm and at 15 years old became a cook at the Gunther Hotel. He was recognized for his work ethic and was so proud of that moment. He went on to work for Kelly and held many management positions. He is one that did his best in life to always do the right thing. He often helped people he worked with that needed guidance or extra encouragement. He never abused his power and I always live my life hoping to make him proud.

One example of how he helped me: My grandfather would drive me to my first TV job at KENS-5 when I was 17 years old. I didn’t have a car and he took me at least 30 minutes early, every day. I’ll never forget my manager telling me one day how he recognized that I am always early. He made it a point to tell me that he appreciated that and I immediately thought of how grateful I was to have a grandfather and grandmother who made sure I was always early and I wanted to try to continue that.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a co-host of KSAT-12’s lifestyle show, SA Live. My dream job has always been to be either an anchor or sports broadcaster on KSAT-12 or ESPN. I knew that lifestyle shows allowed me to tell stories, share positivity and cover a variety of topics, including sports and children and animals—some of my favorite things! I am most excited at the fact that my creative team allows me to thrive in my unique way. We all bring something different to the table and I am rarely assigned a non-paid story. I have the creative freedom to pick stories and share them in various ways.
I never in my life would have thought I would have interviewed George Strait, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Cheech Marin, Matthew McConaughey or David Robinson. This job has given me opportunities to meet so many amazing people, not just celebrities, but all the locals who are running small businesses, changing lives and motivating others. My favorite part is when families share their tears of joy with me after watching a story I did my best to tell. This year, I was so saddened to hear one of my favorite SA Live fans passed away, Sovia, The Spurs Lady–she represented San Antonio and embodied what many our viewers do, compassion and heart for San Antonio (and of course the Spurs). Sometimes a loss helps you realize the gratitude you have for all the people and stories you get to take in. I know many would love to be in this role, but what makes me so happy is that I get to do what I do in my hometown, a place where my parents and their parents worked so hard to support us. I can only hope I make my family proud and my children can tap into that to be inspired to ever give up. My journey took longer than most. I had to wear many hats, including editor, producer, multimedia journalist and now host.

What’s new: SA Live has a new time slot at 10 a.m. and we moved into a new studio inside KSAT-12 this year. We have an amazing new multimedia journalist, Jada Pickett. Fiona Gorostiza is a great co-host and I feel we have found our rhythm and often times we have too much fun–laughing!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Persistence: the knowledge I gained while working on the job was so imperative for my development. I was just a 17-year-old kid, working at KENS-5 as a video editor and also going to college, so, depsite wanting to quit, many times, I am so glad I stuck with it.

Taking Initiative: I was always intimidated, yet still willing to try new roles as I worked my way up in my career. I realized once I mastered how to be an editor and run the capture room, I grew more confident and then took more pride in my work. I still try to be that way with this role and I am always willing to find ways to improve, because I know I can always be better.

Dedication: I continue to take pride in my work and sometimes that means going the extra mile, even if it takes too. long, etc. etc. Sometimes you hear the term: Smarter, not harder, but I prefer more of a “quality over quantity” mentality and if that means putting in the extra work and effort, then so be it.

My advice is to take pride in your work and know that the work you out reflects on you, so be sure to remember that persistence and effort allow you to build a deeper dedication and then a final product you can be share with the world and hopefully, inspire others too.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Sure, we are always looking for businesses to feature on our show or great, motivating stories of people helping others. I do my “Real San Antonians” franchise that focuses on locals making a positive impact in our city. If any local businesses are interested, email us at [email protected] or [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://salive.com
• Instagram: @jentobiastruski
• Facebook: JenTobiasStruski
• Linkedin: Jennifer (Tobias) Struski
• Youtube: @sa_live

Image Credits

Jen Tobias-Struski
Jen Tobias-Struski
Jen Tobias-Struski
Jen Tobias-Struski
Jen Tobias-Struski
KSAT