Dustin Dorsey
I grew up in San Jose and loved playing and watching sports. My family bonded over cheering for the Warriors, A's, Sharks and Cowboys. I played all sports growing including swimming, football and basketball to name a few. While I didn't quite have the skills to be a professional athlete, I knew very early on that I wanted to be in the spotlight. From performing made-up routines for my family in the living room, to emceeing my school's talent show as a kindergartner, I never shied away from the stage.
It has been a blessing to be a reporter with ABC7 News since February 2019. It's incredible to see how much happens in news in such a short amount of time.
I was lucky enough to cover the Super Bowl in 2020 when the San Francisco 49ers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. I told everyone that week that my feet never hit the ground, I was simply floating from the excitement of it all.
Life changed a month later when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however. Covering the important stories of my community never felt more urgent. I recognized then just how big of an impact we can have as journalists while telling the news that people need to know.
I had never been so challenged to do my job, but it helped me clearly understand how and why we were Building a Better Bay Area every day.
I take that mantra very seriously when doing my work whether it be covering the Presidential visits, the devastating storms of 2023 or the daily news that tops the headlines in the South Bay.
I got my first taste of broadcasting at Santa Teresa High School in San Jose. In my senior year, I took journalism to get out of having to take a third year of science. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I anchored the Wednesday morning broadcast and realized this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I perfected my craft at San Jose State University and began my professional career after my Fall graduation.
I never wanted to leave the Bay Area, this is home. But in this business, I learned if you want to be on TV, you go be on TV. I took that advice to heart and moved to the opposite side of the country to little Wilmington, NC to become a multi-media journalist for WWAY news. I was quickly thrust into the news world where I covered Hurricane Matthew, a Black Panther Party protest, a Donald Trump presidential rally and many more stories that helped me realize I'm not in college anymore. My passion has always been sports and 6 months in I was able to get promoted to the sports director at the station.
Growing up, I always wanted to emulate my broadcasting idol, Rich Eisen, and become a sports anchor. Now just a short time into my career, I was able to live out that dream.
As the sports director, I had the opportunity to cover March Madness, the NCAA baseball regional and even a PGA Tour Championship. I told the small town stories of the athletes in Southeastern North Carolina and watched many head to do great things.
It was a life-changing experience to be able to live life in a different part of the country. But after two years in the South, I was ready to come home. ABC7 allowed me to do just that.
I now get to be in my own backyard telling the stories of my South Bay Community while working alongside the same talented journalists here that I grew up watching. It has been an amazing journey so far, but I always believe the best is yet to come!
Share the stories of the Bay with me on Twitter, Facebook or by e-mail: Dustin.W.Dorsey@abc.com.
Dustin's Stories
Medical emergency may have led to 7-vehicle East Palo Alto crash that killed 2, family says
Authorities have not released the cause of the crash that killed two people and injured three others, but family members of one of the drivers believe he may have had a medical emergency that contributed to the collision.
Shelter-in-place order lifted after fire at Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey Co.: Officials
Monterey County officials said that a fire reported Friday morning at the Moss Landing Power Plant that prompted people nearby to shelter in place is expected to burn itself out over the next 24 hours.
San Jose sees 32% drop in unsheltered residents, according to data
San Jose officials say the city has reduced its unsheltered homeless population by 32% over the past 18 months, citing data from a new independently verified model designed to track changes in homelessness more frequently than traditional counts.
Judge orders pause on ICE detention facility construction in Gilroy due to environmental concerns
A federal judge found ICE failed to follow the national environmental policy act, saying there was no proof that the federal government conducted an environmental analysis before construction.
San Jose woman arrested after accusing father of trafficking daughter in viral video
"Doesn't look like your child": Video of the confrontation captured the San Jose woman accusing the man of trafficking his own daughter because of their skin color. Authorities say the woman is connected to other similar encounters.
South Bay woman accused of killing her 2 best friends separately on same day, authorities say
Anila Baby, 33, is accused of strangling and stabbing Ann Mary Mathew in San Jose before allegedly killing Anjana Hari in Milpitas about 90 minutes later, according to prosecutors. She appeared in Santa Clara County court for the first time on Thursday, facing two counts of first-degree murder and a potential sentence of 50 years to life if convicted.
Stanford football coach looks back on Australia game ahead of 49ers opener
Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard, who was the Cardinal's quarterbacks coach at the time, recently reflected on the team's 62-7 victory over Rice in Sydney and the experience of traveling overseas for a season opener.
Community fears potential impacts of proposed ICE detention center near Gilroy school district
A federal judge in San Jose is scheduled to consider a preliminary injunction next week that could halt plans for a proposed ICE detention facility in Gilroy. Educators from across the South Bay are urging officials to stop the project, which would be located near the Gilroy Unified School District office.
Former Morgan Hill YMCA camp counselor denied bail, facing multiple child molestation charges
Anthony Ramon was arraigned Friday on three counts of committing lewd acts with a child under 14, according to court proceedings. He is accused of sexually assaulting three 10-year-old girls while working as a YMCA camp counselor and was denied bail by the judge after prosecutors argued he posed a danger to the community.
Stanford to retire Katie Meyer's jersey number to 'remember her legacy'
Stanford University will retire the late soccer star Katie Meyer's jersey number Wednesday night, marking the first number ever retired by the Cardinal women's soccer program.
