Emmy Award-winning journalist PJ Randhawa to deliver Northeastern Illinois University December 2025 Commencement Address

Northeastern Illinois University’s December 2025 Commencement speaker will be six-time Emmy Award winning investigative reporter and Northeastern alumna PJ Randhawa (B.A. ’08 Communication, Media and Theatre).

The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14 at Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave., in Chicago. Tickets are required and made available only to graduates and their guests. The ceremony will be livestreamed at neiu.edu/commencement.

“Like many Northeastern students, PJ found a strong sense of community and mentorship at NEIU,” said Northeastern President Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, Ph.D. “Faculty describe her as dedicated, inquisitive and exceptionally hardworking, noting that she consistently went above and beyond in her academic pursuits.”

As the daughter of immigrant parents who settled in Canada from the Punjab region of India, Randhawa came to Northeastern as an international student.

“Before I came to NEIU, I wasn’t a standout student and I was painfully shy,” Randhawa said. “Honestly, nobody expected much from me — including me. But at NEIU, studying media and communications and finding real mentorship from my professors gave me the confidence I’d been missing. That confidence changed everything. The encouragement and experiences I gained at NEIU empowered me to find my voice, write my own story and dream bigger than anyone ever imagined."

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern, Randhawa went on to earn a master’s degree in journalism from DePaul University.

Randhawa is currently the Consumer Investigative Reporter for NBC 5 Responds. Previously, she was a political reporter in Columbia, South Carolina; a Morning News Anchor in Rapid City, South Dakota; and a Lead Investigative Reporter at KSDK in St. Louis. Most recently, she was the Investigative Race and Equity Reporter for KING 5 News in Seattle, Washington. During her stead at KSDK, her investigative reporting exposed corruption in police departments, mismanagement in city and state departments, and helped get new laws on the books surrounding sexual assault and cyber stalking.

In addition to her regional Emmy Awards, Randhawa was named a 2023 DuPont Finalist and has won two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, a 2022 Crystal Mic for “Best Reporter” from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, four Society of Professional Journalists Awards for News Excellence, a 2023 National Excellence in Journalism Award from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, an International Sikh Award for political reporting and several Missouri Broadcast Awards. On Jan. 14, 2022, the City of St. Louis declared the day “PJ Randhawa Day” for the positive changes that resulted from her investigations.

“PJ’s commitment to ethical storytelling, advocacy and public service reflects the values we uphold at Northeastern Illinois University,” said President Bell-Jordan. “Her achievements make her an inspiring choice to address our graduates as they prepare for meaningful leadership and service in their communities.”
 

Top photo: A headshot image of PJ Randhawa.