Now a Lecturer in the UW Department of Communication, Lauri Hennessey reflects on her professional and educational journey.
I have been blessed with a career that took me in many different directions, from working as a radio reporter, to a political staffer in Washington, DC, from working at the world’s largest public relations firm to running a statewide advocacy organization. But throughout my journey, I always knew where I wanted to end up. I knew that someday I wanted to teach about communications.
The problem is, I dropped out of college when I was 22. That made the dream pretty unattainable.
A bit of backstory: when I was at UW, I worked full-time at a radio station in Seattle while studying (though mostly skipping class) in the International Studies program at the U, as well as working at the Daily and KUOW along the way. I pretty much did everything but class. I dropped out before UW could ask me to leave in my fifth year, more than 35 years ago.
As our kids were graduating and leaving the house, my thoughts turned again and again to teaching. I have often trained and guest-taught and have always mentored students whenever I could. I knew I wanted to teach. But my long-ago failure haunted me.
That’s when I found ISS. And, cliché though it may seem, it changed my life.
I graduated the ISS program in 2021, doing much of the program while working full-time remotely during the pandemic. I loved it so much, I went on to get my master’s (a Master of Mass Communications at University of Florida), with a focus on Public Interest Communications. I earned that in December of 2022. And now, to my delight, I teach at UW, both in the Master's of Communications Leadership program (ComLead), where I teach Crisis Communications, and to undergrads, also in the Communication Department, where I teach Advanced Journalism and Public Interest Communication. I also am on the faculties at Seattle University and University of Florida.
I was very blessed. I found my way to a BA and my Master’s. I also found dear friends in both programs, mentors, people who understood me and what I brought to this journey. At ISS, I was able to spend much of my time studying my areas of passion (communications and also institutional racism).
It wasn’t always easy, of course. The technology was occasionally challenging for me, particularly in a few of the science classes that were required. But now when I think of those weekends of plotting spots in the ocean or learning about the ecosystem, I don’t think of the occasional technology challenge or the hours of work. I think of what I learned. I think of the beauty of lifelong learning, how I took so much of it with me, how it engaged me and inspired me. And, of course, I think of how I can now be a teacher.
Way back when I was 22 years old, I called my Dad one night, crying and feeling overwhelmed by school and a full-time job as a radio editor. My Dad said, "You are just a kid. This isn't worth it. Leave school. You can come back." My Dad, a school psychologist, was my hero, so I took his advice. Many years went by and I had a fabulous career. My Dad was diagnosed with aggressive cancer three years ago. A few weeks before he died, I said, "Hey, Dad! I went back to school. I got my BA. I am getting my Master's. I did it!" He laughed and said, "I didn't mean you should leave it unfinished for 35 years. I was thinking five."
I adored my Dad, but I disagree with him on the timing. Here's the beautiful thing about going back to school. There's no limit. I got my Master's at 59, my BA at 57. My grown children were so utterly proud of me. And I was one of many such stories — moms going back to work, parents juggling kids and classes, people knowing that you can finish. Always.
Thank you, ISS. I know this program has changed many lives, which I heard about frequently from classmates as we wound our way through the program together. Here’s to all of those beautiful stories and the happy endings you made possible.
