KPBS Midday Edition

Vicki Estrada: 10 Years As A 'Natural Woman'

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published July 1, 2015 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

It's been a decade since Estrada announced male to female transition on KPBS

Vicki Estrada: 10 Years As A 'Natural Woman'

Vicki Estrada: 10 Years As A 'Natural Woman' GUEST: Vicki Estrada, landscape architect, Estrada Land Planning

In 2005, San Diego business and civil leader Steve Estrada announced on KPBS he intended to become a woman.

Fast forward 10 years, Vicki Estrada, is now opening up about what the past decade of her life has been like.

“That interview changed my life,” Estrada, president of Estrada Land Planning, told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday. “I went back to the office as Vicki and never looked back.”

Become a KPBS sponsor

But Estrada, who has been involved in major San Diego projects, including the Balboa Park Master Plan, said it wasn’t all “peachy” immediately after the announcement.

“My friends and clients and family transitioned with me,” Estrada said. “It’s a little awkward in a social setting. My daughter will say, ‘This is my dad, Vicki.’ But they are not embarrassed. They’ve come around to be very supportive.”

Estrada said the change was the result of something she felt when she was young. Today, she’s married to another transgender woman, Linda.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Clinic Helps San Diego Transgender Youth

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

twitter

Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Marissa Cabrera

twitter

Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera