HANNAH ALLAM

Now: Cairo bureau chief | McClatchy

Then: 1998-99 Editor, The Oklahoma Daily

In the spring of 1995, The Oklahoma Daily presented its staff awards - certificates that captured the ambitions and achievements of students who'd lived inside the hectic, unpredictable offices of the campus newspaper.

I was voted "Most Likely to Become a Foreign Correspondent," and I treasured my certificate as if it were a Pulitzer. It was my dream, on paper. Better yet, it was validation of that dream by the people who'd nurtured it: the students, faculty and staff of OU Student Media.

At OU, my professors and advisers set about making me the best possible journalist, with no limitations on where those lessons could apply. They taught me the mantra of journalism ethics: Seek the truth and report it fully, act independently and minimize harm. They taught me the legal pitfalls of reporting and how truth is always the best defense against accusations of libel or bias. They coached me as editor of The Oklahoma Daily, but forced me to make the toughest decisions on my own. And through the Oklahoma City bombing and aftermath of tornadoes, they showed me how to lace even the most tragic stories with compassion and sensitivity.

In the past year alone, my job has taken me to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Qatar, Kenya and Somalia. But no matter how exotic or dangerous the dateline, every one of those stories was built on a foundation laid right here in Oklahoma.