Local girl turned on-air personality Lindsey Henry has an eventful life and an already illustrious career.
A product of Cinco Ranch High School in Katy and eventual Sam Houston State University Bearkat alumna, Henry now works as a reporter for Fox 26. From covering Hurricane Harvey to being whipped in the face by a fan’s rally towel after the Houston Astros won Game 7 of the ALCS last year (which she handled like a true professional on live TV), she is truly an icon to many.
One of the prominent accomplishments that stands out on her very active Twitter account is the first three words of her bio: “Emmy-nominated reporter.” A May 2016 article by The Fresno Bee unveiled that Henry was nominated for the 45th annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards. She was working as a reporter for “KSEE 24 News at 11” and received a nomination in the “Newscast-Evening-Medium Markets” category.
Henry was definitely not the stereotypical aspiring journalist, though. She got what could be considered a ‘late start’ in the field, not even fathoming the idea of being a reporter until after she entered college.
Originally, she attended Texas A&M Corpus Christi to pursue a degree in nursing. She always really enjoyed science, but definitely did not feel the same way about math. A conversation with her aunt ended up being a catalyst for her looking into the journalism field. Henry enjoyed reading, writing, talking, photography and videography; her aunt asked if she had ever considered journalism.
“I had never thought of it as an option,” Henry said. “I talked with my parents about it and they said, ‘Let’s just see how you feel about it. Think about it for a while—you have some time,’ and the first day of my second semester in English II, I had a professor who went around the room and asked everyone, ‘What do you want to be one day?’ I said, ‘I think I want to be a reporter.’”
That professor turned out to be a former television news reporter at a local station in Corpus Christi. She lent a hand to Henry in getting her a job there, and a few days after that she was working as a production assistant running studio cameras, teleprompters and audio at KIII-TV. Following that transition of her professional ambitions, Henry decided it was time for a change in schooling.
“I wanted to go to a school that specialized in journalism in Texas,” Henry said. “Sam Houston State and UT [University of Texas] are two of the best schools for journalism. I thought about it—I’m from Houston, I like Sam Houston, so I went to Sam Houston.”
Her summer between junior and senior year yielded an internship at KXAN in Austin.
“That really helped. I definitely recommend internships anywhere you can get them,” Henry said. “The more you have, the better your résumé looks, and the more you learn. The professors will teach you a great amount of stuff, but when you’re in the field it’s constantly changing.”
One of those perpetually evolving parts of the job for Henry is managing emotion. She talked about how even with everything you learn in the classroom and during internships, the field can always be challenging.
“The longer you’re in it, the more you experience and the more you see,” Henry said. “For me, I’m an emotional person, so I have a connection with each person I interview and tell their story. That’s something you don’t really think about when you’re in college. You don’t think about how connected you’ll become with each person you come in contact with.”
In her seven years in the field, Henry has had the opportunity to cover an array of topics—some more difficult to swallow than others.
“My first job was in Joplin, Missouri covering the Joplin tornado May 22, 2011,” Henry said. “It was like a week or two after I graduated college. Going into the most devastating tornado as my first job was definitely a tough awakening. I was going to talk to these people that not only lost their homes but their entire families.”
The move back to Texas was accompanied by Hurricane Harvey soon after, another difficult event for her to report.
“It was just so emotionally devastating for me because everyone I knew had suffered,” Henry said. “I saw my friends lose everything. I don’t think you’ll ever be prepared for the amount of devastation you’ll see.”
Shortly following the aftermath of the storm, however, came an opportunity in the field unlike any other. The Houston Astros would finish off the 2017 Major League Baseball season as World Series Champions, and the moment was incredible for Henry both as a reporter and a fan.
“From a reporter standpoint it was really exciting because I was an Astros fan,” Henry said. “Normally you try to unbiased on-air and not show your opinion, but knowing that I was from Houston they knew I was a fan, everyone knew I was a fan. I could wear my jersey on-air and cheer them on on-air and get excited. I’ll never forget the moment [the Astros] won the World Series, I was inside Minute Maid Park for the official watch party, and I was the very first live shot they took in our newscast after the game had ended. It was wild.”
Since getting her position with Fox 26 and returning to Houston, Henry has had a rather unique endeavor in her personal life, as well. On Jan. 16, The Houston Chronicle named Henry one of Houston’s 33 most eligible bachelors/bachelorettes. She made the cut to the exclusive list with other H-Town icons like James Harden, Alex Bregman and Ashley Turner (daughter of Mayor Sylvester Turner).
The Chronicle said, “Lindsey Henry works as general assignments reporter with KRIV-26. The Houston-native graduated from Cinco Ranch High School and Sam Houston State University, though her Emmy nomination is the highlight of her already impressive résumé.”
“The moment I found out I was with my mom with no makeup on,” Henry said. “I had not showered in a day, and we were moving stuff from one place to the next because I had just moved. I was shocked. Why would they choose me? There are so many eligible people, and I’m just your average-joe girl that loves what she does. It was definitely a shock, and an honor, and embarrassing at the same time.”
Certainly a strong on-air personality, Henry was reassuring that she was flattered about the article, but threw in the word “embarrassing” because she is a bit less cavalier in her personal life than on-screen.
“In my job, I can be more outgoing,” Henry said. “But in my private life, I feel like I’m more shy, more withheld, so knowing that everybody knew I was single was kind of scary. But it’s been good, lots of positive reactions, and my friends have been really supportive.”
She even revealed that one of her “celebrity crushes” is on the men’s side of the list.
“James Harden is in there!” Henry said. “I look at James Harden, and I still get goosebumps because he is one of my biggest celebrity crushes. He’s the number one Rockets player. How can you not love him?”
The life of a journalist can be a roller coaster, and Henry has certainly experienced both the ups and the downs. She has already accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments topped off by her Emmy-nomination, and looks to have a bright
career ahead of her. Even with all the eyes she has opened in her short time working for Fox 26, this humble Bearkat looks forward with the idea of always learning more.
“For someone to say that they’re perfect in the field couldn’t ever be true because you are always learning new trades and talking to new people that may share something with you that you never knew,” Henry said.
From graduating high school with the ambitions of being a nurse to completely changing her career path on a dime, Henry is the epitome of the ideal that hard work pays off. She worked for her time in the spotlight, is making the most of every opportunity, and the sky seems to be the limit for this talented reporter.
