For as long as he can remember, Rincon has been drawn to news. As a junior in high school, Rincon recalls telling his counselors that he wanted to be a journalist. This passion followed Rincon through his college search, leading him to Quinnipiac.

“When I started looking at colleges, I wanted a place that had a proven track record of getting recent graduates into newsrooms,” said Rincon. “Quinnipiac was doing that."

Jumping right into the world of radio, Rincon completed nearly a dozen internships during his time at Quinnipiac, including LIFE.com, Connecticut Public Broadcasting WNPR radio and The Aquarian Weekly. 

Leveraging his resources at Quinnipiac, Rincon focused on gaining exposure to the industry and embracing the learning process. 

“I tried really hard to get as much exposure to professionals, to journalists doing the job as possible,” he said. “I remember doing a few shows on WQAQ — I was allowed to make mistakes. I will never forget introducing a song, playing the wrong one, stopping it midway and then playing the right one. You'd never do that, but we laughed about it. And that's the beauty of learning, you make mistakes in a space where that's allowed and you get better.”

Eager to launch his career following commencement, Rincon accepted a job in Jacksonville, Florida, at WOKV radio as a morning reporter. 

“I covered a huge story my first day on the job,” he said. “I didn't even have a badge yet, but I was ready.”

Rincon went on to become a reporter at CBS radio, a news anchor and political reporter at Fox News Media, an anchor, reporter and writer at Entercom and a general assignment reporter for WCBS-TV at CBS New York.

“I interned at WINS and made stops in Jacksonville, helped launch a startup all-news radio station for CBS in D.C., helped launch a start-up SiriusXM station for FOX News, I was at WCBS 880 and CBS 2, all before making my permanent return to WINS," said Rincon. "And before I started my journey, my now boss said to me, 'don't get to the top too fast.' I didn't get it at the time, but over time I did.”

Now, as the midday anchor at 1010 WINS, Rincon is responsible for delivering news to millions, following 1010 WINS tagline “You give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you the world.” 

“My mission has always been to inform, to be trusted and to be as transparent as possible,” said Rincon. “In this day and age, you can get your news from a million different places. What I've tried to do throughout my career is to uphold my mission while making the news relatable. Laying out as clearly as possible why people should care about whatever it is that I'm talking about.”

Reporting on the most-listened to radio station in the country, Rincon’s journey has come full circle as he once relied on that very station to learn English.

“I learned to speak English while sitting in the car listening to WINS. I'm a first-generation American,” he said. “My mom is from Venezuela, flew here on her own, knowing no one, with just a suitcase, wanting a better life for me. She would tell me how important it is to speak English without an accent. So, WINS was on all the time. It's why I wanted to be a journalist, I wanted to be on the radio, like them.”

Even with a prestigious career and years of experience behind the mic, Rincon hasn’t lost sight of what makes his work meaningful.

“WINS is to me, the soul of the city. It's on in cabs, at bodegas, it's the hidden soundtrack you might not realize is playing,” said Rincon. “That is never lost on me, so I make sure whenever I do anything, I remember my audience. It is massive and so it's important I try and bring my A game for them, just like so many New Yorkers bring their A game in whatever they're doing.”

As the field of journalism continues to evolve, Rincon emphasizes the importance of adaptable storytelling.

“Journalism is about storytelling. Whether you write for the New York Times or Quinnipiac Chronicle, you need to be able to engage people,” he said. “Entertain them while informing them. There's a huge shift in the industry right now, TikTok and Instagram — those are sources of news now. But the tools you learn in the classroom can help the next generation be a better part of an existing brand or build their own.”

Despite the growth of these alternative media, Rincon highlights radio’s existing importance.

“Radio still has its place. I've always thought of it as a 24/7 live feed, with constant updates. It's a place where you can tune in for just a bit and walk away feeling a little more knowledgeable,” said Rincon. “It's also a resource for when things happen, natural disasters, big news moments, you can turn us on and we're gonna be on it. You flip the switch at home and expect the lights to go on — in the same way, you can flip to WINS and expect to hear the big news of the day — traffic, weather, the stuff that you need as you get around.”