A Huskie's Voice: Tricia Despres, '94, Shines in Country Music Journalism
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet

Tricia Despres, '94, is a freelance writer for PEOPLE magazine. 
(Photo: Paul Despres)

For as long as she can remember, Tricia Despres, ’94, wanted to be a writer—interviewing people and being a voice for their stories. 

Today, she’s a freelance writer for impressive publications like PEOPLE magazine, authoring exclusive stories with top country musicians like Luke Combs, Chase Rice and Brooks & Dunn. 

“Breaking into PEOPLE magazine in 2018 is my biggest accomplishment,” Despres said. “It was a goal of mine since the beginning.”

Despres's love for writing began in elementary school in Palos Heights, Illinois, but NIU gave her the skills and direction to launch her career. She chose NIU because it's where her late father, Thomas Roegner, ’70, attended, and in 2023, after his death, Despres felt a pull to reconnect with her alma mater.

“I loved the feel of Northern from the very start,” Despres said. “My father was quite an active alumni member all my life, so once it was time to pick a college, it really was an easy choice. I have been thinking about how my father gave back to NIU throughout his life, and I decided that maybe it was time for me to do the same thing.”

Despres wants current students to know that a whole band of fellow Huskies is ready to help the right people and encourages them to take advantage of the alumni network in their chosen field.

In addition to forming a strong bond between Despres and her father, NIU is also where she met her husband, Paul ’91, when he returned for an alumni weekend with his fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta. She also met many friends and has fond memories with them at football games, tailgates, parties, lecture halls and studying into the early morning. 

Despres was an Alpha Omicron Pi sorority member from 1991 through 1994.

“I loved everything about NIU,” she said. “It’s where I met my best friends to this day. The Greek system was thriving, and the people who made up the Greek system during those years still count as some of the most wonderful people I know.” 

She immersed herself on campus and studied journalism. Pursuing her passion, she worked at the Northern Star for her first two years and at TV-8, the student station, for her remaining two.

“I learned all I needed to know about the direction I wanted my life to take,” she said. “My professors truly taught me all I needed to know about the field of journalism. I would not be who I am without NIU.”