Forever Duke

“I didn’t retire, I graduated.”

After more than 25 years as a trusted TV news anchor in Washington, D.C., Holly Morris Espy ’93 took on a completely new challenge: co-founding a women’s pickleball apparel company with a mission tied to wellness and brain health.

From engineering student at Duke University to journalist to entrepreneur, her story is a great reminder that there’s no single path after graduation — and sometimes the most exciting chapter comes later.

Designing a Second Act When Holly Morris Espy ’93 entered Duke, she came with the intention of becoming an engineer. She earned her degree in environmental and civil engineering from what is now Pratt, but left Durham carrying a passion for television news that had been percolating in the back of her mind for years.