ABC News’ “Nightline” Co-Anchor Byron Pitts Shares Professional Advice with HPU Students

HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 30, 2026 – Byron Pitts, co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline” and High Point University’s Journalist in Residence, stressed the importance of being kind, dedicated and authentic while speaking to a large group of HPU students during a recent visit to campus.

Pitts shared stories from his extensive journalism career during a Life Skills and Leadership Series session titled “Leading with Courage: Stories from the Front Lines” in Phillips Hall on Oct. 23. As he spoke about being a war correspondent and covering the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, he told students that they can take lessons from his experiences even if they are not journalism majors.

“Part of what is required in my job on some level is some measure of courage,” Pitts said.

Pitts said his mother instilled in him a sense of courage. He described her as a strong woman who worked multiple jobs to raise him on her own in a working-class neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Despite enduring a traumatic childhood that she did not like talking about, his mother taught him to stand up for his beliefs and not compromise his integrity to get ahead professionally.

That said, Pitts said TV viewers should not know his religious beliefs or political affiliation. He also tries to show respect and kindness to everyone he interviews, even when he covered a Ku Klux Klan rally as a Black journalist. He said he was there to tell a story, not judge the people in attendance.

“Being kind doesn’t mean you’re soft or you’re a pushover or people can manipulate you. As my therapist says, ‘Everyone is having a hard time.’ As a journalist, I believe words matter,” Pitts said. “So, just think that someone who’s having a hard time for whatever reason and you say something kind to them, you speak kindness into their life. That’s powerful.”

Pitts said he has enjoyed career success — going from being a local TV reporter to working as a correspondent for CBS’ “60 Minutes” — by being prepared and not complaining when he got passed over for good news assignments. He also sends a thank-you note to each person he interviews, which he considers a small token of kindness.

Pitts ended the life skills session by giving his cell phone number to every student in the room and encouraging them to reach out if he could ever help them with a job or a class assignment. His talk was part of HPU’s Life Skills certification program, in which students can earn a tuition-free microcredential by attending sessions led by industry leaders in the university’s Access to Innovators program.

Pitts also spoke to a journalism class and mentored journalism students during his visit to campus.

“I go to a lot of college campuses every year in the course of my career. This place is magic,” Pitts said of HPU. “There are a lot of great schools that offer a lot of great things, but there is something unique about the opportunity you get here. I find that students who are attracted to High Point University are different than a lot of the kids I meet in many places. I think the faculty, staff and administration are different than a lot of places that I go. This is such an intentional space. I would argue that part of success in your professional life and in your personal life is the capacity to be intentional, to pay attention to detail, and I know that you are taught that.”

What Students Learned

Chase Shultz, a freshman majoring in sports media, said he was looking forward to hearing Pitts speak. Shultz was struck by Pitts’ message about maintaining a positive mindset and being a kind, authentic person wherever you are.

“This is the first time I’ve heard him speak. When I would go to a freshman orientation, I would always see Byron Pitts’ name pop up. He was the real reason that I wanted to come to High Point University,” said Shultz, who is from York, Pennsylvania. “Just watching him talk and meeting him was absolutely a great and extraordinary opportunity.”

Since arriving on campus, freshman Maya Oldham, who is majoring in journalism, has gotten involved with HPU All Access, a student-run news broadcast. She spoke to Pitts after his talk, and she said he was willing to watch one of her HPU All Access news stories and offer feedback.

“I think it’s incredible. I’m a freshman. I just got to college, and honestly, going to High Point University, my expectations just keep getting met and going above whatever I think is possible,” said Oldham, who is from Charleston, South Carolina. “Just the fact that I was able to talk to him and get a picture with him or listen front row during his speech, it’s just incredible. I’ll take anything I get, and here we get a lot.”