New Mexico native Teri Schultz, NPR’s NATO correspondent, encouraged University of New Mexico journalism students on Aug. 20 to say “yes” to opportunities, even when they feel distant and unrelated to their desired paths.
Schultz, a former New Mexican rodeo kid, covered NATO and European Union affairs from Brussels, Belgium, after taking a series of unexpected opportunities. Schultz encouraged approaching opportunities with the same willingness: “Always say, ‘Yes, I can do that,’” she said.
After graduating from New Mexico State University, Schultz worked as a server while trying to break into the industry. As she became more uncertain and self-conscious about her future, she said she recalled asking herself, “How am I ever going to do this?”
Rather than giving up, Schultz sent her resume and tapes to broadcasting companies across Europe. Those efforts and her passion led to an unexpected opportunity in Finland, where she moved when she was 22, despite knowing little about the country, language and culture.
Schultz was willing to do things that others wouldn’t even when they didn’t always align with her goals. She took a small newspaper job when she wanted to become a broadcaster and worked with Fox News, despite its values not aligning with hers. Those opportunities eventually helped lead her to Brussels and a life that, at one point, felt impossible.
Taking a leap of faith by saying “yes,” Schultz, a woman from Bosque Farms, built a career reporting internationally for about 20 years and even created her own beat.
Catch Teri Schultz reporting on NPR stations, Deutsche Welle, and the NMPBS rebroadcast of DW “The Day” on channel 5.4.
