Guilherme Hiray Leal

Guilherme Hiray Leal

Olá! After graduating high school in my home country Brazil, I moved to Orlando to pursue my bachelor's degree in print/digital journalism and minor in cinema studies at the University of Central Florida. I have a strong interest in feature writing and also in covering sports. I graduated in May 2022 with Summa Cum Laude honors. In the past, I was the editor-in-chief for NSM Today, UCF's journalism program student publication.


Beyond college, I assisted the Orlando Sentinel in their 2020 Presidential Election coverage and was an intern reporter for The Community Paper. I was also a writing contributor for the Orlando Sentinel during the fall 2021 semester and a digital intern for WKMG-TV News 6, CBS TV's local affiliate in Orlando, in spring 2022. Most recently, I served as a writing contributor for Sports Illustrated's Inside The Knights and a news desk editorial writer for ClutchPoints.

I am set to return to UCF in fall 2023 as I pursue a master's degree in communication.



This portfolio showcases my work as a journalist. Thank you for taking the time to review my reporting skills and my passion for writing.

Sports Illustrated | Inside The Knights •

Big Offensive Plays, Stout Defense, Lead UCF to Pummel South Carolina State 56-10

A strong first half behind John Rhys Plumlee’s dual-threat quarterback abilities led UCF to a 56-10 win to open the season versus South Carolina State on Sept. 1, 2022. In his debut for the Knights, Plumlee threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for a team-high 99 yards on 13 attempts, also scoring once on the ground.
WKMG-TV News 6 | ClickOrlando.com •

Capturing the George Floyd protests, new Orlando gallery asks, ‘What do you want to say?’

Photographer John Noltner used to live just 11.6 miles south of where George Floyd was killed in May 2020. As people from around the country traveled to Minneapolis to pay their respects and to protest police brutality, Noltner brought his camera and asked a simple question: “What do you want to say?” His photographs eventually became the “Uprooting Prejudice: Faces of Change” gallery.
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