Pamela Hollie is an esteemed journalist with experience at major news outlets such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal; she is also a Washburn Alumni of 1970. Hollie was invited back to campus on Monday, Nov. 1 to be congratulated on her lifetime of success.

With a packed room of students and faculty at the International House, Hollie shared stories about her experiences she has had throughout her career.

Her time as a journalist consisted of traveling to different countries and reporting from places like the Philippines, where she would have to wake up in the middle of the night so she could file stories. One of the places she would have to edit them was at a local bordello. But even with the obstacles she faced, she was still sure that she was doing what she wanted to do.

“I think most careers are by accident and the hardest part for you at the early stage of your life is to figure out what it is that you really like to do, where you want to do it, why you want to do it and be able to defend your decisions,” Hollie said.

Along with her stories, she also shared words of advice, answering questions about topics ranging from how she became a journalist to a time in her career where she was inspired.

To conclude the proceedings, and to Hollie’s surprise, she was inducted as an honorary member of Phi Beta Delta, and honor society for recognizing scholarly achievement in international education.

To honor Hollie and her extensive list of accomplishments, a variety of food was put outside for mingling.

Administration was proud to have Hollie on campus and recognize her for her achievements, including Washburn University’s president, Dr. Farely.

“All the stories that she [Pamela Hollie] shared with us today wouldn’t have happened had she not been a student sitting in a classroom like this,” Farely said. “We can then have a person like her come back and remind people that that happens. It’s a big world, so there’s plenty of room for you.”

Although the event seemed close to done, Hollie was presented with a Department of Mass Media Lifetime Achievement award.

Kristen Grimmer handed off the award with pride. The Mass Media department as a whole was grateful for the opportunity to have Hollie visit.

Though she tries to come back often, Hollie was excited to be back on campus where her whole story began and awaits her future return.

Edited by Ellie Walker, Simran Shrestha