ESPN sports broadcaster Holly Rowe will deliver the University of Utah’s 2025 commencement address this Thursday, returning to her alma mater where she began her trailblazing journalism career.
“It’s just something I’ve always loved,” Rowe said. “I remember being really young, probably elementary school, and taking a career aptitude test where I told the teacher my job wasn’t on there. I wanted to be a broadcaster.”
Citing inspiration in KSL’s Shelley Thomas, a television news reporter while Rowe attended college, Rowe worked on the sports desk at The Daily Utah Chronicle as one of few female sports journalists.
“It was a generation where there weren’t that many women doing it, but [everyone] was so generous and kind … I was really grateful that the young men were so inclusive of me and open to someone new and different,” Rowe said.
Rowe’s Chronicle experience and CBS Sports internship set the stage for her breakthrough. When she noticed ABC hadn’t assigned a sideline reporter for an upcoming BYU-Utah game, she called and volunteered. Her standout performance earned her a position at ESPN, then a rising sports network.
That gamble launched a 25-year tenure at ESPN, where she became a fixture at national championships. Rowe also made history as the first female Utah Jazz color commentator.
Now a veteran sportscaster, Rowe has seen the field change drastically.
“The challenge is to find new and interesting story angles with a generation of college athletes that document their entire lives on social media,” Rowe said. “Content is what everyone’s after.”
The need for sports coverage in Utah is also expanding. With the Ute’s entrance to the Big 12, arrival of the Utah Hockey Club and opening of the new Bees baseball stadium, “The Ballpark,” Rowe sees outlets for young sports journalists and fans everywhere.
Rowe sees women’s sports as the fastest-growing sector, pointing to surging interest in Utah’s NWSL Royals and women’s volleyball programs.
“Young women are interested in sports,” Rowe said. “Are we bidding on [women’s] NCAA tournaments? What are we doing to bring these big women’s sporting events to our state?”
Rowe described the invitation to speak at commencement as an unexpected milestone. Her speech will focus on navigating life after college and the importance of setting long-term goals.
“[Graduating is] kind of a stressful time,” Rowe said. “When you’re in college, you have this exact roadmap lined out. The GPS gets scrambled when you get out of college. I don’t know if I have all the wisdom. I only know what’s worked for me — having a very clear vision of what I wanted my life to look like.”
She encouraged graduating students to stay patient and open-minded as they transition into post-college life.
“These next couple of months or years are a matter of refocusing your goals,” Rowe said. “It can be stressful. Give yourself freedom and grace that you’re going to figure it out.”
The post Meet the U’s 2025 Commencement Speaker first appeared on The Daily Utah Chronicle.