Story by: Laura Moxim

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – When Hollie Mann discovered there weren’t many female reporters on the television, she was determined to make a change.

Growing up in Locust Fork, Alabama, her mind was made up on what she wanted to do, and nothing would get in her way.

“I grew up watching a lot of football and there were always only one or two female reporters and I thought that was so weird.”

Hollie Mann

She wanted change, and she was passionate about making that change happen. She had one goal: female reporters should not be scarce when it came to broadcasting. Soon Hollie hit the ground running and was making her mark as she went.

What she didn’t realize, however, were the hardships that she would face just at the beginning.

How one Student is Making a Difference one Step at a Time

Hollie Mann started her freshman year at the University of Montevallo with an open mind and high hopes for a great year studying Mass Communication with a concentration in multimedia journalism. With high school fresh under her belt, she felt unstoppable and was eager to start college with a clean slate – that is until she felt the anxiety that came with it. Three weeks into her journey, she felt a lot of pressure and was unsure about her future.

“When I got here, I felt this was a really welcoming community, but I emailed my advisor and asked hoe to transfer because I was so scared.”

Hollie Mann

She was anxious, apprehensive and longing about where to start. With her family having generations of sororities into effect, she decided to give it a try in high hopes to open new doors for friendships and a welcoming support system. She is now a part of what she calls, “her forever home”, in Chi Omega. Hollie says she feels connected with her sorority sisters and that she can be her true and authentic self around them. She is also a part if the Montevallo cheer team, giving her more opportunities to feel at home on campus.

While creating deeper connections with her cheer team, preparing for her future one step at a time, and excited to make her dream of becoming a reporter come true, she stayed at the University of Montevallo.

Hollie has a passion for sports and is interested in keeping it in her playing cards, but she said she wants to explore reporting to get the skillset she needs and later on become an anchor for now. Hopeful she might go into sport reporting later on, she has her deck of cards full. With multiple career goals up her sleeve, she wants to show off what she can do.

Expanding Skills Through Internship Opportunities

She decided to kick off her career early her junior year by interning for CBS 42 News this semester and said it will be an amazing opportunity for her to strengthen her reporting and anchoring skills, as well as ticking one more box off her checklist.

Eager to get out of her comfort zone and learn more about the field of broadcasting news, Hollie is anxious to see where this opportunity takes her and what new skillset she will be able to add to her portfolio.

Knowing she is not only making herself proud by becoming one step closer to being a reporter, but also making her dreams fade into a reality.

“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows,” Hollie said. “This is hard-core news. One minute you talk about a mass school shooting or a fire that killed and injured multiple people and the next minute you talk about a group of teenagers dressing up for their high school.”

Hollie Mann

She is determined to face her next challenge with ease as she gears up for a successful Junior year. With her cheer team, friends and family, sorority sisters and CBS 42 News on her side, she feels she will be the next vision for TV broadcast.