WHITNEY WILD ’06: BALANCING BROADCASTING AND A BUSY FAMILY LIFE IN THE WINDY CITY
As a CNN correspondent and mother of four based in Chicago, Whitney Wild ’06 is nothing if not deadline driven. When we caught up with her recently she shared her path from Greenhills to television journalism and her feelings about celebrating her 20th Reunion this June 5 and 6.
How would you characterize your Greenhills experience?
From the beginning of middle school, I loved it all: Incredible teachers like Mr. Zellers, Mr. Jansen, and Mr. Allen; competing on the field hockey and golf teams; and planning a handful of dances in the Upper School. I really cherished that we were able to try on all different types of experiences—theater, sports, academics—and we never felt limited in our choices. That has served me well in the real world, both in my career and my personal life, helping me decide who I want to be and how I want to spend my time.
How did your interest in broadcast journalism develop?
My dad has a video production company and so that was my first exposure to television. I also credit my Shakespeare class at Greenhills and Taming of the Shrew with seeding the performing bug. At the University of Michigan I majored in comparative literature, which helped me figure out how to connect seemingly disparate themes and find the throughlines, and then went on to graduate school at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
I started off as a local news reporter in the Washington, DC, and Denver markets, before landing at CNN. I’m officially the network’s law enforcement correspondent, but I cover it all—crime, tornadoes, the Pope’s brother, who lives in Chicago.
How does it feel to be celebrating your 20th Greenhills reunion this spring?
I cannot believe it’s 20 years—crazy that it’s been that long! I guess I have to accept that I’ve become an older millennial. My family and I try to return to Ann Arbor about once every quarter, so I will do my best to come back for Reunion Weekend in June. With four young children—ages 9, 7, 5, and 3—my down time is pretty much focused on kids’ sports!
