Ep 50: MILESTONE MOMENTS: Sarina Shares Her Story

On this 50th episode of "On The Record With Sarina Fazan," Sarina is joined by two very special guests, Debra Schrils and Jim Rathmann, who are turning the tables to interview her. For the first time ever, Sarina is telling her own incredible story, from her childhood in India to leaving home at 18 years old, so she could pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a broadcast journalist.  

Debra Schrils, who is a former lawyer, meteorologist, and cruise show host, is Sarina’s personal friend and former colleague, as well as her very first podcast guest. Jim Rathmann, a former law enforcement officer and investigative on-air consultant on Investigation Discovery’s "Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies and Cover-Up,” worked side-by-side with Sarina as she earned her first national producing credit. Together, they ask Sarina questions about her early years and the path that she took to lead her here.

Sarina’s story is anything but traditional. She was born in India, but her family moved to the United States when she was only three years old due to her health, settling in the Seattle area. English was not Sarina’s first language, but it was in fact her fifth! She actually learned to speak English watching Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters on the news. Like Barbara Walters, Sarina too overcame a speech impediment. As a little girl, she crafted an aluminum foil microphone and pretended to present the news along with her idols each night, her earliest desire to be a journalist taking shape.

The oldest of four siblings, Sarina had a happy childhood in Olympia, Washington. Her upbringing was not traditionally Indian, but her family was very close. They lived an average middle-class lifestyle, and she fondly remembers her mother greeting her after school with homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

A good student, Sarina dreamed of attending Harvard University and becoming a TV correspondent. At 16 years old, she was on track to being the valedictorian of her class, and her guidance counselor helped her apply to the prestigious university.  When she received a letter of conditional acceptance from Harvard, she excitedly shared the news with her mother – only to learn that she was instead destined for an arranged Indian marriage. Shocked and confused, Sarina stopped speaking completely. With her dreams suddenly out of reach, she fell into depression, and her grades fell along with it.

In order to become more immersed in a traditional Indian community, the family left behind their Seattle home to move into a two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Chicago. After some time, Sarina began to adjust to her new surroundings, with her grades improving. But, in December of her senior year of high school, her parents arranged an engagement for her to a young man from London, and everything changed again.

Sarina says she’s been hesitant to tell her story because she doesn’t want to hurt her parents, whom she loves and respects very much. She credits them for doing what they thought was best for their family, following the only culture they knew.

With her grades dropping and not knowing the cause, the nuns at Sarina’s Catholic high school recommended counseling for her, but Sarina wouldn’t talk, fearing that she’d disgrace her family. Instead, she kept her engagement hidden while she was at school. Sarina finally shared what was happening with the woman who worked at the school’s bookstore and her daughter, who was a classmate.

With high school graduation looming, Sarina stumbled upon a box of invitations to her wedding, realizing that it was being planned for that June. She went immediately to the nuns at the school, who offered to write a letter to her parents saying that she should instead go to college. But, in her heart, Sarina knew that the letter would lead to her being disowned from the culture.

While she graduated from high school, Sarina did not attend the ceremony. Sarina ran away from home, only taking with her the acceptance letter from Harvard. As she drove away from school, she saw her mother and brother walking inside – the last time she saw her family for years.

Just 18 years old, Sarina began working and saving in pursuit of her goal to attend college and achieve a career in broadcasting. Fate led her to a bank manager, who co-signed a loan for school and helped her get into Northwestern University. After a horrible car accident that left her unable to move freely, she instead went to Loyola University, where she graduated with a degree in journalism, public relations, and organizational management.

During that time, a counselor at Loyola University contacted one of the producers at the Oprah Winfrey show, which was taped in Chicago, with Sarina’s story. When they asked Sarina to come on the show, she surprisingly said no! Even today, Sarina says she feels a deep sense of guilt when talking about the past.

Still, Sarina took control of her story. She went on to begin her broadcasting career, eventually leading her to the anchor chair at WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay. As Sarina pursued her dreams, she won four Emmy awards and interviewed countless newsmakers, earning her a reputation for landing “exclusive” stories and leading to her producing credit on IMDb (www.imdb.com/name/nm11900101/).

Her family reunited after the birth of Sarina’s daughter, Sammie. With her mother’s permission, she started to write a blog called “Indian Trailblazer,” which also was the initial name of this podcast.

As she considered the path her life has taken, Sarina realized that if she had never run away from home at 18, she wouldn’t be where she is now. And, her younger sister, Shala, would never have met the love of her life, from another arranged marriage shortly after Sarina left. Shala and her husband Hasan were married for 28 years before he lost a battle to cancer. She said to Sarina, “So many people never have that type of love, and my prayer is for you to find it.”

For Sarina, love and kindness are at the heart of what she does. You can see it in the “Love in America” and “Dating in America” episodes of this podcast, as well as the “Let’s Spread Kindness” initiative. While this podcast has covered a multitude of topics in its 50 episodes, this is just the beginning of Sarina’s story.

For more discussions like this one, make sure to subscribe to the podcast “On The Record With Sarina Fazan."

 Sarina Fazan’s wardrobe provided by Triage Consignment Boutique (www.Facebook.com/triageconsignment).

Sarina Fazan’s dry cleaning and laundry provided by ZIPS Dry Cleaners (www.321zips.com/tampa).  

Marc Marino, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, sponsors the “Let’s Spread Kindness” initiative and the “On The Record With Sarina Fazan” podcast. To learn more about Marc Marino, visit his website at www.EdwardJones.com/financial-advisor/index.html?CIRN=J8Xt82uMZ5PTkAAfJx0rPPELPdflNeOixbnYxMnYXdXnKX7BL7zz5t8tIJl5Do72.

Find out how you can help spread kindness at www.LetsSpreadKindness.com, and follow the “Let’s Spread Kindness” initiative on Facebook and Instagram @startspreadingkindness.