Luis Aguilar had never heard of the job of technical director at a television station until he took an introductory digital broadcast class at Palomar College.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” Aguilar said. “After the first time, I fell in love with it.”

Aguilar’s perseverance in pursuing his new career interest led to a job as technical director for Telemundo in Miami, a major market for the station. In his job, he communicates with the camera operators and news anchors to make sure the show runs smoothly.

“It’s so much fun to be in the hot seat and help spread the news and be part of the process,” he said. “I get to do something I love.”

After graduating from Del Lago Academy, Aguilar worked for about a year as a photographer at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. When he was laid off in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked for three years as an Amazon driver.

He initially took a photography class at Palomar but found his passion when he took Professor Scott Richison’s broadcast class.

From that first class in 2022, Aguilar looked for every opportunity he could find to operate a video camera or direct teams of video operators. He volunteered to film services at his church and honed his videography skills at events put on by his father’s company, USA Multicultural.

He also filmed a women’s football team, working with Professor Peter Stoll, and was technical director for the MODA Fashion Show at Palomar. He was the technical director for Palomar College student newscasts that won a student Emmy  for outstanding achievement in student programming in November 2022.

Richison said Aguilar constantly sought new assignments to hone his video skills.

“Whenever I had an opportunity, I would throw it his way and he would knock it out of the park,” Richison said.

Aguilar said Palomar instructor Jerry McCormick, a former employee at NBC News, became a mentor and organized a student tour of the station.

Aguilar helped out when Palomar’s broadcast department set up the Stream Team, giving other advanced broadcast students a central way to find opportunities for videography. Since the Stream Team launched in Fall 2024, it’s provided more than 1,500 hours of on-the-job training for students, covered more than 80 events, and had more than 45,000 viewers.

Aguilar said his job in Miami, where he’s worked since early 2025, wouldn’t have been possible without his experience at Palomar.

“I love Palomar,” he said. “All I learned there brought me to where I am today.”