Fulfilling Childhood Dreams: Alexandra Laurence

Alexandra Laurence fell in love with college football at an early age. 

She grew up going to games and cheering on the Bears. As a fourth generation Baylor Bear with multiple relatives playing on the Baylor football team, it was easy for Alexandra to want to be a part of it all. Over the years, as her love grew for Baylor football. As a kid, she realized she couldn’t play for the team, but she could be a part of the team in a different way. As a broadcast reporter. Alexandra’s dream is to be a sideline reporter for college football and she currently works for the Baylor Lariat as a Broadcast reporter. 

Alexandra graduated from Ronald Reagan high school in San Antonio in 2021 before coming to Baylor University. Outside of studying journalism and working as an anchor for the Baylor Lariat, Alexandra is also a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.  

Alexandra says that studying journalism is setting her up for success because she is learning about journalism with real-world applications. In addition, she is constantly networking with professors who truly want to see her succeed and will do anything to help her in her journey to become a journalist. 

“I look forward to going to class and being with my professors and classmates because they push me to work harder and want to be the best I can be in that profession,” says Alexandra.

Alexandra gives credit to Bruce Gietzen. After meeting Mr. Gietzen at freshman year orientation, he reached out to Alexandra and encouraged her to apply to the Lariat. Alexandra was nervous because she had no journalism or broadcasting experience, but expressed interest in journalism. 

“He taught me everything I know today and constantly is pushing me to be the best journalist I can be. He gives me helpful critiques on my stories, taught me how to have a ‘news voice’ and truly invests in me as a student journalist. I take all his advice into consideration when doing any story and I know he wants to see his students succeed. I know that he is the best in the business, and I am so lucky that he reached out to me and encouraged me to step into this profession and he has never given up on me,” says Alexandra. 

Alexandra says that she always knew she wanted to go to Baylor because it felt like home. She is excited that it finally feels like her turn in her family to go to Baylor and make a name for herself. She feels that she found her niche in the Student media community and in her sorority, a moment she has dreamed of her whole life. 

Alexandra has 19 relatives that have graduated from Baylor University. Her great grandfather got his masters at Baylor in 1940 and her grandfather was inducted into the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame after playing football, basketball, baseball at Baylor and graduating in 1967. Alexandra’s parents met on their first day of freshman year in the fall of 1990. Her dad was a 4-year letterman on the football team. Her brother got his masters at Baylor in 2021 and her sister graduated with her undergraduate degree in 2021. 

Alexandra recalls going to the Baylor football games, homecoming, and basketball games growing up, running into many relatives in the Letterman’s lounge. Alexandra’s grandfather, Donnie Laurence Sr., played football at Baylor with his two brothers; Ronnie Laurence and Ernie Laurence Jr. They are the only three brothers to all play on the same NCAA D1 football team at the same time. 

“Going into the letterman’s lounge, I would see cousins, aunts, uncles and people I did not even know how I am related to them. To the Laurence family, Baylor is where our family legacy started. It is in our blood,” says Alexandra. 

Now working for the Lariat, Alexandra enjoys going through the “Lariat Archives” and reading football articles on her grandfather, uncles, and dad. 

“Baylor unites our family. It is so fun to be able to relate to my family, walking the same hallways they did, living in the same dorm my grandmother and mom lived in, having the same college experience that my family did,” says Alexandra.