She’s a Proud Tar Heel, ‘with a capital P’

UNC Hussman alumna Kirstyn Clark returned to North Carolina to work in news as a reporter and anchor for WRAL.

This story was written by Caroline Daly ’24 and originally published on unc.edu.

Kirstyn Clark ’22 grew up rooting for the other shade of blue.

“I used to really like Duke as a kid,” said Clark. “It was absolutely because Coach K and I have the same birthday, so I latched onto that as a kid.”

Years later, Clark enrolled at Carolina as a psychology major hoping to be a psychiatrist. But the recommendation of a friend changed the course of Clark’s time at Carolina — and her future career.

The friend suggested she explore “Sports Xtra,” a twice-weekly show produced by the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media that highlights the latest Carolina athletics news. Anchor auditions were being held that day, so Clark spontaneously tried out — and earned a spot.

During her time at “Sports Xtra,” she was a reporter, anchor and on-air football analyst. She conducted live interviews with athletes, reported from around campus and shared analysis. Before each show as anchor, she would review scripts and voice-overs and do run-throughs and sports analysis.

That experience, coupled with her own sports career — she played basketball through high school — inspired her to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. As a video production intern her senior year, Clark shot, edited and published video packages for the Inside Carolina website. She was courtside for men’s basketball games, on the sideline for football games and attended practices and press conferences.

“When I started my first job, it wasn’t a matter of could I do it. I knew everything in terms of how to work the camera, conduct an interview, shoot and edit video, because I learned all of that at UNC,” she said. “I was able to put it into my real world, daily career and I was 100% prepared. I credit the preparation to the amazing professors at UNC and mentors in the business who shaped my foundation as a journalist and supported my goals.”

Clark grew up watching the local news each morning and evening with her parents, and anchored “Carolina Week,” a live student-run weekly newscast at Carolina. That made her first job, as a multimedia journalist at WBOC-TV in Maryland, particularly special.

She later was a weekend anchor and reporter during her three years there.

“I love the community aspect and really getting to connect with people through their stories. That’s what made me like news and go in that direction,” said Clark. “We meet people — especially when you’re reporting and in the field — that are in their worst moments or best moments of their lives. And regardless, everybody has a story to tell.”

When her contract at WBOC-TV was ending, she applied for a position as a news reporter and multimedia journalist at WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina, and heard back in about 30 minutes.

A month later, Clark packed up and moved back to her hometown of Cary, North Carolina. After starting as a reporter, she was promoted to weekend morning anchor and reporter, while also filling in on weekday mornings.

“I’m so glad I decided to come back home again. I’m close to my family, back around the people and communities I knew, which is a plus,” said Clark. “It’s so cool to not only be back in your hometown doing what you love, but being able to work my way up and get a position like this is amazing.”

Now that Clark is back in the Triangle area, she can sport her favorite shade of blue — Carolina Blue.

“My Duke fandom quickly changed once I got to UNC,” said Clark. “Anybody who knows me knows I am a Proud Tar Heel, with a capital P.”