22News Anchor, Ciara Speller, is Cemented in the Community
Springfield, Mass. - Though she’s the evening anchor for 22News, Ciara Speller sees her role as more than just someone sitting behind a desk.
“I’m not just a face on a TV screen,” she said. “I’m out there in my community and I’m actively making change and a difference.”
That perspective may have begun with her parents reminding Speller that wherever she is in the world, she’s part of someone’s home. Speller is passionate about integrating herself within the community, “speaking to the people who need their stories heard, who need somebody to be an advocate for them,” she said.
“Be a voice for the voiceless,” she added.
As the Western Massachusetts community has been welcoming, Speller in turn diligently collaborates with local organizations like Girls Inc. of the Valley and I Found Light Against All Odds. In January she received a Community Impact Award from New Year, Better Us.
By being a part of the community, Speller knows she can make a difference by reporting stories about local residents, whether they’ve been affected by tragedy or are celebrating milestones.
“There can be a really positive impact and change in our community because of that,” she said. “That is something that keeps me going, definitely, every day.”
Rapport to Report
Speller didn’t initially aspire to be a journalist; instead she wanted to be a dancer. Throughout much of her life, she competed across the country, minoring in dance in college. Dance provided a way to connect with others through storytelling.
Speller’s grandmother first put the idea of becoming a reporter into her head when they watched the news on television together.
“She would say, ‘I can really picture you doing this,’” Speller said, and soon realized that she could make the same kind of connection with others by telling the stories of people in the community.
In school she joined the student-run newspaper, created her high school’s first broadcast news, then the first broadcast news team at her college.
“That’s where I hit the ground running,” she said. After graduation, Speller felt the need to perfect her craft and pursued a master’s degree from Boston’s Emerson College, one of the country’s top schools for journalism. It offered her the opportunity to attend the 2016 presidential inauguration, report from the red carpet at the Oscars and interview journalist Byron Pitts among many political figures.
After graduation she was offered a job with 22News as a reporter, then the evening anchor position. “The rest is history,” she said.
“I’ve achieved all of these goals and have surpassed some of them. It can be surreal sometimes,” Speller said. “It’s really gratifying to look back at where I came from and what I’ve achieved today.”
Dreaming Big
Among her achievements, Speller was recently named one of Business West 40 Under 40 in 2023, the only 22News employee who has been recognized with that distinction.
She’s a frequent speaker at community events such as the Miss Western Massachusetts Scholarship Pageant and New Year, Better Us, where she can support and inspire young women to pursue their own paths. She reminds them to stay grounded, stay focused, and be true to themselves.
“As long as you continue to perfect your craft, and you work hard and you stay dedicated and true to yourself, achieving all your goals are very, very attainable,” she said.
“You are your biggest supporter and you are also your biggest barrier,” she added. “You can listen to what everyone else around you has to say, but ultimately you are driving the car in your life.”
She reminds community youth to pursue their dreams even when it seems challenging or takes longer than anticipated.
“If you have those dreams nobody can tell you (that) you can’t achieve them. There’s always a way to achieve them. It might not happen as quickly as you’d like,” she said, “but it will happen if you continue to work for it.”
