Mariana van Zeller

Actually, it's an interesting story how I even got to the U.S.

because, you know, I applied for Columbia University three times.

The first time I was not accepted.

The second time I was put in a wait list and didn't get accepted.

The third time I flew to New York and I knocked on the dean's door and I explained I'm Portuguese.

I really want to come to this university.

I want to be a journalist in America.

And he sat me down.

We spoke for an hour.

And that year I was accepted.

And it taught me my first big important lesson in journalism, which is persistence.

Get in there.

Don't be afraid to get nos because, I mean, what's the worst that can happen, right?

But a month after this, I'm in New York.

I'm sleeping in the morning, and I start getting phone calls.

And I was sleeping that late because I'd been studying until really late that night, the night before.

And the first phone I pick up was my television station that I'd worked for in Portugal.

I'd done an internship there and worked there.

And they called me and said, hey, turn on your television.

And it was when the first tower had collapsed.