When my boss asked me if I wanted to interview Maria Shriver when she came to town to deliver the commencement speech last week at the University of Michigan, I looked at her and said, “well, that’s a no-brainer.” Of course, I would! I was ecstatic! What a fantastic assignment.
Depending on your age, you probably know Maria Shriver for different things.
I asked my younger sister, who’s not quite 40, what she knew about Shriver. The only thing she remembered was that Shriver was the former wife of Terminator actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She actually knew more about Shriver’s daughter Katherine who was just featured on the Netflix show “The Home Edit.”
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My mom, who’s 65, though, remembers so much more. She remembers Shriver and her prominent presence being born into the Kennedy family, a true American dynasty. Her uncle was President John F. Kennedy, and two of her other uncles were U.S. Senators Bobby and Ted Kennedy. Mom knows EVERYTHING about the Kennedy Family from back in the day. The triumphs and the tragedies. She could go on and on. I, too have memories of my mom somewhat idolizing the Kennedy family, as I’m sure, so many other Americans who lived during that era did.
Though always wanting to be a news reporter, I mostly have memories of watching Shriver as a journalist on NBC News.
I remember studying her mannerisms and admiring her interviews. I remember it meant a lot to me to see a woman anchoring network news, especially when she filled in for the legendary Tom Brokaw on “Nightly.” During those days, the network evening news was dominated by men.
I often thought to myself, “I wonder if I can do what she’s doing.”
There’s no denying Shriver was born into a much more privileged life than most people (including me), and I’m sure that helped her along the way. Despite that - I was delighted to see that she seemed relatable and down to earth. I could feel her pride when she talked to me about her four children, whom she shares with Arnold Schwarzenegger. She loves being a mother and a grandmother, and her passion for finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease is beyond impressive. She’s done so much research, raised so much money, and is on a mission to wipe out this heartbreaking disease that her father was diagnosed with before he passed away in 2011. At 66, she is showing no signs of slowing down and feels blessed to be a part of so many things she’s passionate about.
Now granted, I may never reach the professional level of Maria Shriver, but I feel tremendously blessed to have made it this far in the industry doing what I love and what I dreamed of doing. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to meet and work alongside so many other talented journalists and prominent people that I looked up to and admired throughout my childhood.
As we wrapped up our interview, I thought back to some 30-plus years ago and how I used to worry about how my life would turn out. I wish I could go back and tell that young, anxiety-filled Kimberly, “girl, don’t you worry, you gonna be alright.’