Meet Brooke Pryor - Salem Academy

Choosing Salem Academy was a "no-brainer" for Brooke

Brooke Pryor was introduced to Salem Academy and College in fifth grade, when her mother became the assistant athletics director and aquatics director at Salem College. Toward the end of Brooke’s 8th-grade year, Brooke’s father learned of a job transfer, which meant the family would be moving to a different city in North Carolina. Brooke said she didn’t want to start a new school in a new town, “so when my parents asked me to choose between my new local high school and Salem Academy, it was a no-brainer.”

Salem challenged me in so many ways. The academics were incredibly difficult, but I felt incredibly accomplished at the end of each semester.

During her four years at Salem Academy, Brooke was pushed academically and discovered her passion for writing–thanks in large part to her AP English teacher, Dr. Cahill. “She was a no-nonsense teacher in the very best way, and she always challenged me to think critically. As best I can remember, she was also the first teacher to really tell me that she thought I was a great writer and that it should be something I should continue to pursue in the future,” Brooke said.

When Brooke became editor-in-chief of Salem Academy’s yearbook, The Quill Pen, in her senior year, she conducted her first-ever interview—with Salem Academy’s former head of school and assistant varsity basketball coach—and wrote her first sports story. She didn’t know it at the time, but this was the first tiny step in her career as a sports journalist! As a freshman at UNC, Brooke used that story as an example of her writing when she applied to and was accepted to the Daily Tar Heel’s prestigious sports desk. Brooke said of her high school experience working on The Quill Pen, “that got me started on the path that led me to where I am today.”

Being at Salem made me fearless and confident—two things I need daily in this line of work. There aren’t many women in sports media, and going to Salem for four years taught me how to develop and use my voice. We were encouraged to speak up in classes, and Chapel Talks taught us how to speak publicly. Now, as a reporter, I have to walk into places where I’m one of only a handful of women, sometimes the only woman, and ask men tough questions, often as the press conferences are being streamed and watched by thousands of people.

Today, Brooke has over ten years of experience in sports media. In her role as an NFL Reporter at ESPN, Brooke said she “currently covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for ESPN’s NFL Nation, as well as the league at large.” She also hosts and contributes to Vibe Check, ESPN’s women’s sports show on Disney+. In addition to volunteering with various organizations over the past decade, Brooke also serves as Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America and is a member of the board of the National Sports Media Association.