Sabirah Rayford announced last Friday on a newscast that she is leaving KPRC 2 Houston as a reporter/anchor. Rayford later revealed she is joining FOX 13 Seattle.
In a clip sent to me by a KPRC 2 viewer (not the video above), Rayford says this week will be her last.
"I'm getting emotional right now just because this is my...next week is my last week here at KPRC 2 and it's ending in a serendipitous way in the sense of I'm ending how I started, which is connecting with the community," Rayford said.
Rayford joined KPRC 2 on September 20, 2021 as a weekend morning anchor from NewsChannel 5 WPTV West Palm Beach, Florida. In March of 2023, Rayford left weekend mornings.
Rayford's career as a multimedia reporter spanned nearly four years with WPTV. In 2020 she shifted her focus towards covering stories related to racial justice.
Before joining the team at WPTV, Rayford honed her skills at WKYT Lexington, Kentucky.
Her journey with the station started during her sophomore year of college, initially in the sports department, and later as a multimedia reporter/fill-in anchor. It's worth noting that Rayford made history at WKYT, as she became the first college student to report on air for the station, as stated in a KPRC 2 press release at the time of her hiring.
Rayford's journalistic work was recognized in 2015 when she received an Associated Press (AP) award for her story titled "Transgender."
A proud alumna of the University of Kentucky, Rayford interned with the UK athletic department and WKYT Lexington, Kentucky. She also served as a student reporter for ESPNU Campus Connection.
Rayford is a recipient of the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award which is given to one UK African American alum from each of the school's academic colleges, "whose faith, hard work and determination has positively affected the lives of people on the UK campus, the city, state or nation" according to the university's website.
As Rayford leaves, Daji Aswad is hired.
(Thanks Shannon)
