Becky Worley was a member of the Middlebury women’s soccer and club rugby teams, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Japanese. She is currently the tech and consumer correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA).

What was your thought process in deciding to come nearly 5,000 miles away from home to Middlebury College?

My college counselor in high school gave me good advice. He said, “Becky, you love the outdoors, and while a school like UCLA might seem closer to home and warm, it’s in a city and the culture of California is not as much like Hawaii as you think. A rural New England experience might fit your personality and interests much better.” Boy, was he right!

You mentioned your dream of hosting a fishing show after college, but you ended up in Seattle, Washington, with the help of some Middlebury alums. What led to that career path? 

I grew up deep-sea fishing in Hawaii and then learned to fly-fish at Middlebury. My crazy idea of hosting a fishing show on TV came from my love and knowledge of fishing, but I did not know anything about making television, so I figured I could learn the craft by working in local news. Emily Langlie, a Middlebury alum, was a producer/reporter at the ABC station in Seattle, and she let me volunteer to log incoming footage as it beamed into the station during a big political convention. While I was watching, I saw a Middlebury alum, Andrew Friendly, get off Air Force One with President Clinton. Turns out he was an assistant to the president. I called the switchboard at the White House and asked for the phone number of the “cellular telephone” he was carrying (in 1993 the phone was the size of a shoebox and Andrew had it strapped across his shoulder). By some miracle, the White House operator shared that number, and I called Andrew. He said he would try to convince Clinton to give us a quick interview. I went to the news director and offered it to him. We hightailed it to Boeing Field and stood next to Air Force One waiting for the president, but he was running late and despite my pleading with him on the tarmac, we didn’t get the interview. I went back to the news director dejected and explained that I did not get a soundbite from the President. He hired me on the spot.

Rugby has been an important part of your life. What made you chase the opportunity to play club rugby after graduation and what went into balancing all of that alongside earning your master's degree and a full-time job? 

I always got better grades in college when I was in season for soccer or rugby, and I found that when I started working, I was more productive and organized when I was playing a sport. Club rugby was incredibly intense and more competitive than collegiate rugby. I did a stint in the United States national program, but one weekend at the bottom of a ruck as I saw a cleat coming for my face, I yelled out, “Don't step on me, I‘m booked for CNN on Monday.” I knew I was juggling too much for my master's program, a full-time job in TV, and trying to compete in the program, so I backed off rugby and eventually quit at 33. Playing sports, especially something as intense as rugby, left me unfazed by the little challenges in life. After playing a full-contact sport, live television isn't that scary.

After 10 years in TV, you got your big break working for Good Morning America. How did this opportunity come about?  

I worked my way up from answering the phone in the local TV newsroom to eventually hosting my own show on the Travel Channel. I was mainly a tech reporter, and Good Morning America booked me as a guest. They kept bringing me back for more spots and eventually hired me as a contributor. Five years later, I became a correspondent. This wasn't my dream when I got into TV, but it's so gratifying, interesting, and fun that I can't imagine doing anything else now. I am primarily a consumer and technology reporter, but I also anchor in the field for big events like NFL football coverage and profiles of people and places the network wants to highlight. I did shoot a pilot for a fishing show and it was terrible; you can’t produce fish. They didn’t bite the day we shot, and it was the most stressful thing I ever worked on. No thanks - I will keep fishing as a hobby!

Do you have a singular favorite piece or segment that you have worked on during your time with GMA?

For most of my reporting, I try to be useful in saving folks a few dollars or helping them make smart decisions. But when ABC sent me to cover the fires in my hometown of Lahaina, it was incredibly challenging and meaningful for me. I have never felt as much pressure to convey the right information in the right tone as I did in those moments. After 20 years as a national news correspondent, the scariest thing I've ever done was report in my hometown during a tragic and uncertain time. It gives me so much respect for people who report on disasters and in war zones.

Are there any big projects that you are working on that you can share with us?

Because ABC has the Super Bowl this year, we are spending a lot of time profiling each NFL team. I have been assigned the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers while also being involved in coverage of the Las Vegas Raiders and their number one draft pick, Fernando Mendoza. I was so excited about the opportunity to interview the Heisman Trophy winner with the wholesome attitude and adorable relationship with his family. The day the taped interview piece was slated to air live was the day of first-year drop-off for my daughter at Middlebury. I contacted the athletic department and the communications team to see if there was any way we could go live from the Middlebury football field, and they were so gracious in accommodating us. Spending a morning on Youngman Field got me so excited for games this fall- let's go Panthers!!

Your daughter is following in your footsteps and attending Middlebury. Did you push her to consider the Green Mountain State and does she have any plans to play sports?

She had no interest in attending until her high school volleyball captain was recruited to play at Middlebury. That opened Emmy's eyes to what a tremendous place Middlebury is. We drove across the border from New York when we visited her junior year and she burst into tears. I know the feeling; the start of the inscription of the Middlebury chapel has always spoken to me:  “The strength of the hills,” and I slightly altered it, thinking, “The strength of the hills is with you always,” part psalm, part Buddhism, part Jedi speak. But stepping onto campus is a visceral feeling of joy and strength for me. I don't know if Emmy will play sports at Middlebury (possibly rugby sevens this spring). Currently, she's working towards a role as the mayor of New Battell and she did join the fly-fishing club! It is such a thrill to have the framework of the school as a starting point to understand her experiences and being on campus brings back the most amazing memories for me.

What is your Midd moment?

I have so many, but this one encapsulates my youthful exuberance, naivete as a Hawaii girl in Vermont, and the supportive Middlebury community. My freshman year, we went up to the Falls of Llana. I was so desperate to be in the water as an ocean kid raised in Hawaii that I jumped into the pond above the falls and started exploring underwater, looking for fish and just enjoying being immersed in water after a Vermont winter. I didn't have a lot of experience in streams and didn't realize how strong the current was. Before I knew it, I was caught up in the stream and going over the falls. As a surfer, I just relaxed and figured I couldn't do anything about it once I was literally over the falls, so I bumped my way down the cliff face into the pool below. A Middlebury football player who was standing on the edge of the lower pool thought I must have died and jumped in to save me. But I just sheepishly popped up and swam to the side. At that age, I literally dove into every experience. 

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