Irwin Thompson, Pulitzer Prize winner for his photographs of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, spoke at ULM last Monday.
Thompson, a ULM alumni, was invited as part of ULM’s celebration of Black History Month. Thompson told the audience about the barriers he faced on his way to New Orleans. After driving through 70 mph winds he was stopped on the outskirts of the city by policemen who said no media was allowed in.
“Here I am, stuck on the other side of the biggest story of my life,” Thompson said. He told students interested in  photojournalism it’s important to think on your feet. After calling the police chief he’d stayed with the night
before, he managed to get through the police and into the city.
Thompson talked about the devastation he saw in New Orleans and what it was like to witness the disaster first-hand.
“It was like a third world country,” Thompson said.
In 2006, Thompson, along with the staff from the Dallas Morning News, won a Pulitzer Prize for the pictures documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Lincoln Powell Jr., a mass communication junior from Lake Providence, said he’s interested in photojournalism because photography is already a hobby of his.
“One of the main things he said that inspired me the most was, ‘work hard and be persistent,’” Powell said.
Thompson encouraged students interested in photojournalism to start preparing for future jobs now.
“Whatever you’re doing today will affect you later in life…you need to be ready to go,” Thompson said.