The BAA asked this year’s Legacy Scholarship applicants to reflect on what it has meant to be part of a Baylor legacy family and to grow up surrounded by Baylor traditions, and what the scholarship means to them. This week, we introduce Eliza Newman of Woodway (Waco). Eliza expects to graduate in May 2019 with a degree in Business Entrepreneurship. In the part of her application where she talks about his Baylor Legacy family members, she listed her dad Carey Newman, PhD ’89, who is director of the Baylor University Press; mom Leanne Lewis Newman ’85, a lecturer in Educational Administration at Baylor; aunt Cristen Lewis DeGraffenreid ’88; and sister Savannah Rose Newman ’17 (expected).
I was born into the Baylor family. Literally. I have pictures of my first birthday with a Baylor bib and smeared icing over my face. I wore a custom miniature cheerleader outfit to the numerous Baylor Homecomings I attended with my family. I probably learned “Sic ‘Em Bears” well before any other words. Yes, I have always known I would attend Baylor University. Yet, it has not been until the past couple of years that I truly understood why I wanted to attend Baylor. I realized the traditions that my parents and sister experience are ones I want for myself.
First, Baylor has a long tradition of academic excellence. As graduates, my parents have used their Baylor degrees in numerous occupations that has ultimately led them back to campus. For me, the academic programs seem challenging and will lead to great success. That is what anybody needs to be pushed and be successful and happy after college. Baylor also has any and every course I would want to take and that is very important.
Baylor’s tradition of combining academics with a strong faith foundation is also powerful. I have grown up with Baylor my whole life. My parents went there, met and married while there, and now work there. My sister is now a sophomore. There is no other university that can give me this kind of community and spiritual place to thrive in. Being a Christian is important to me, and Baylor can give me what I need to grow stronger in my faith while still having the college experience.
Along with that, every tradition Baylor has is like no other college. Before we moved from Louisville to Waco, my parents would bring my sister and me halfway across the country each year for Baylor Homecoming. They told my sister and me stories of their time as students. They even hosted Baylor alumni events in Louisville – to “fling their green and gold afar.” I loved hearing and seeing those traditions, the people, the stories … and I want nothing less than to be a part of every single one of them. I see my parents and my sister take part, and I just think about how much I want to be involved with them.
To put it plainly, the main reason I want to go to Baylor is because I just love it. I love everything about it, and I honestly can’t imagine myself going to any other University for the next four years. Nothing can beat being a Baylor Bear. I see myself contributing to Baylor by being a friendly face to anyone and everyone. I also love to be involved in as much as I can, so I can see myself making an impact on those around me in whatever I do.
What I am looking for in a University is a place to grow in every area of my life. I want a place to call home and a place that is comforting to me. I am looking for a university that has a place for everyone and gives me a chance to find a group that I fit in where I make lifelong friendships. College is about having fun and learning and Baylor is exactly that. There are more than enough activities, traditions, and fun things to do, yet I would be pushed to my limits in academics and learning new things every day to make my life successful.
In short, I cannot wait to join the Baylor Line in Fall of ’15 and become a part of the rich traditions of Baylor University. And, someday, I will in turn pass those traditions to my children.
The Baylor Alumni Association awarded scholarships to 54 Baylor legacy students for the 2015-16 school year. Our goal is to give out more scholarships with larger amounts to help these students and their families pay for a Baylor education, and we hope to award more scholarships for the Spring 2016 semester. If you’d like to make a donation, please go to this page. We will send a pair of Baylor BattleHands spirit gloves to anyone who donates $100 or more toward Legacy Scholarships (or renews their annual membership for $100 or more).
