Dina Kupfer
Dina Kupfer reports and anchors Monday-Friday on CBS13 News and Good Day Sacramento.
13 Questions With... Dina Kupfer
Where did you grow up? All over. I was born in El Paso, Texas, but due to my dad's retail management job I lived in 7 cities and four states by the time I graduated from college. Here is my journey: El Paso, TX to Abilene, TX to Shingle Springs, CA to Sacramento, CA to Vacaville, CA to Reno, NV to Eugene, OR. My first news job was in Reno and that is where my parents live, so that is "home" for me. I moved back to NorCal in 2012 for work and have been here ever since!
What is your ideal scenario for a day off? Doing something adventurous! You won't find me resting on my days off. Depending on the season, my husband and I will likely be skiing, hiking, wake surfing, kayaking, mountain biking, travelling or spending time enjoying the great outdoors. Of course, I also love spending time with my two French bulldogs Brewski and Barley :)
How did you decide to be a reporter/anchor? My grandfather, Mark Bernard Kupfer, survived the Holocaust. As a teen, he was forced from his home in Poland during the German Invasion in 1939. Most of his family perished in Nazi labor camps, but he refused to die. He vowed to stay alive to ensure his story wasn't silenced. He wrote a book about his journey – a conversation he didn't feel comfortable having with even his own children for decades. He was my inspiration for wanting to be a journalist -- to make sure every important narrative is reported on and no one's story is ever muted.
What was your favorite toy growing up? Jump rope and the Skip It!
Where is your favorite local place to eat? In Vacaville, I love going to Rice Barn Thai Eatery – a locally owned Thai restaurant – my favorite dish is beef drunken man noodles!
Do you have any pets? Yes! My French bulldogs Brewski (6) and Barley (2). They are our fur babies and we are obsessed.
What is your favorite social media platform? Depends on what I'm using it for. I use Twitter to stay current on my reporting and share breaking news stories. I like Instagram for my personal life. You can catch all of my adventures (and photos of my pups) on Insta :) @DinaKupfer on both!
If you didn't work in TV news what would you be doing? I would have been a teacher. I love kids and I really enjoy arts and crafts (that's why I started a Dina-I-Y segment on Good Day)! I would have had a lot of fun teaching young minds and sparking their creativity! Growing up I used to play school -- my mom has photos of me with all of my stuffed animals lined up with encyclopedia books as "desks" and I used to talk to them and grade their papers (which I wrote)!
What is your favorite season? WINTER. If I could ski every day, I would!
When do you wake up on a workday? Weekend? Being on the morning shift, my sleep schedule is all out of whack! My FIRST alarm goes off at 2:30 am, but I snooze until about 2:45 am. I usually split my sleep schedule and take a long nap when I get home from work around 2 pm. I try to go back to a "normal" schedule on the weekends, but often fall asleep standing by about 8 pm.
Why do you love Northern California? I love all of the wonderful outdoor activities NorCal has to offer. Where else can you go skiing on the 4th of July then jump in Lake Tahoe!? My husband and I have taken full advantage of the lakes, trails, mountains and beaches, but we certainly don't take any of it for granted. We intend to stay here for a very, very long time!
Where was your best vacation ever? New Zealand! My hubs and I spent two weeks in NZ for our honeymoon. We rented a camper van and did a loop of the south island. We hiked to glaciers, went heli-skiing (helicopter skiing), abseiled (like rappelling but below ground into a cave) and had so much fun trotting through sheep farms, eating meat pies and drinking the local wine!
Favorite sport to watch in person? On TV? Favorite sport to watch in person AND on TV is college football. I am a proud University of Oregon Duck and will be representing my team for life!