Hussman grad Carolyn Van Houten named one of Forbes 30 Under 30

Carolyn Van Houten ’14 graduated from UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media only six years ago, but the industry has already recognized her as a leader in her field of photojournalism.

This week, the 29-year-old native North Carolinian was selected for the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Media category. Van Houten is a photojournalist at The Washington Post, based in Washington, D.C.

"As North America settles in for a long pandemic winter, there are bright spots on the horizon," Forbes wrote of its 2020 list issue. "The young trailblazers who made the lists "are proof positive that ambition and innovation can’t be quarantined."

"While it feels uncomfortable to celebrate good news while so many around the world are struggling," Van Houten told us, "making the Forbes Under 30 List with so many incredible honorees is wonderful."

That humility is characteristic, said Van Houten's mentor Chad Heartwood, who is an associate professor of visual communication at Hussman. "Carolyn was always humble yet courageous," he said. "People immediately trust her. She treats every person she meets with respect, and you can see this in her photography."

The Forbes profile noted that Van Houten is no stranger to awards. This year, she was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team behind The Post's climate change series "2°C: Beyond the Limit." The series won journalism's highest honor for its exploration of the effects of extreme climate change on communities. Van Houten, a photographer on the project, traveled to locations including Angola, Uruguay and Colorado for the series. She joined numerous other distinguished Hussman graduates who were 2020 Pulitzer honorees.

In 2018, also with The Post, Van Houten covered the journey of migrants from their homes in Central America to the United States border to seek asylum. She made monthly trips for a year to document the stories of people at different stages of the journey for her series “The road to asylum: Inside the migrant caravans.” The project won the Robert Capa Gold Medal Award from the Overseas Press Club of America and the RFK Journalism Award for domestic photography. The Overseas Press Club wrote, "Carolyn Van Houten brought a deep level of humanity and empathy to a story that saturated the news media."

Her perceptive approach has been a hallmark of Van Houten's success ever since her Hussman days. Coming to UNC-Chapel Hill after growing up on a farm in rural North Carolina, Van Houten started her college career majoring in astrophysics. But she soon discovered her love for photojournalism, nurtured by UNC Hussman’s faculty. She graduated with a focus in photojournalism in December of 2014.

"Even as a student, people she photographed were portrayed with honor and dignity," Heartwood noted.

At Hussman, Van Houten also won awards for her work, including the College Photographer of the Year and first place in the Hearst Journalism Awards Photojournalism Competition for multiple years.

"UNC Hussman provided me with a solid foundation and support system through college and starting my career that I will forever be grateful for," Van Houten said. "I continue to seek guidance from my former professors and classmates. I am so thankful for their support and encouragement."

The faculty and alumni of UNC Hussman, in turn, look forward to many successes that are sure to come for Carolyn Van Houten — even after age 30.