Name: Alexa Hines
Major: Journalism
Class: Senior
Hometown: Rancho Santa Margarita, California 

Texas Christian University became Alexa Hines’ top-choice school once she stepped on campus and realized it was everything she wanted and more in her college experience. She had never heard anything negative about the school and could picture herself having a great experience at TCU. Initially, when researching colleges and weighing in–state versus out–of–state options, Hines decided that since she wasn’t born in California and did not have many ties in Orange County, she wanted to try something new and made the decision to move to Texas. 

Hines wanted to declare journalism as her major because she could combine her love for telling stories and sports to pursue a career in this field. One of her many favorite things about the Journalism department was small classes, which allowed professors to get to know her goals and aspirations and help her achieve them. She was excited when one of these professors even chose her to work on a project that was published by The Washington Post. Hines also notes there’s a sense of community on the second floor of Moudy South. She enjoyed being a student in the Journalism department as she learned everything from writing to broadcasting, and gained many opportunities to grow as a journalist.  

Outside of Hines’ experiences with her major, she was heavily involved in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, TCU Athletics and TCU360, the student-run news site. She not only served as the special events coordinator for her sorority, but also the communication chair for their annual philanthropy event. Her responsibilities at TCU360 included being a line editor and running the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts, where she posted stories, shared content and covered events on campus. Hines enjoyed her experience with student media because she learned how people’s consumption of news is constantly changing and wanted to be involved in how TCU received that news. Interning for TCU Athletics gave Hines the chance to work with the football and basketball teams, giving her a better understanding of terms, rules, players and overall knowledge of sports. Additionally, she had summer internships with NBC Sports Bay Area, CBS in Los Angeles and thanks to one of her professors, CBS in DFW.  

In spring 2019, Hines studied abroad in Rome, Italy. While there, she enjoyed developing friendships with other TCU students on different career paths and learning about their dreams and goals. She also loved sharing her experiences with local residents and other visiting Americans about TCU while falling in love with a new city. She still dreams about some of her favorite restaurants and looks back now, thinking how a year ago this was a life-changing experience.   

Hines’ future plans are to go into the sports broadcasting industry and report for local sports teams. She advises prospective journalism majors to get involved, spend time in the newsroom and get to know your professors who can become your mentors. Hines has received many opportunities through the Journalism department and is looks forward to seeing what the future holds.   

Hines is currently working as a sports marketing associate at Pando in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

Click here for more information on the Journalism department.