Class of 2023: Bailee Utter
Name: Bailee Utter
Hometown: Argyle, Texas
Major: Journalism
Bailee Utter chose to study journalism at Texas Christian University primarily due to her involvement in commercials for her family’s company, “I fell in love with the idea of being in front of the camera from a young age,” she said. “I want to become successful in the broadcasting industry.”
Her favorite journalism class has been Intro to Visual Journalism. She said that she not only enjoyed being in front of the camera, but also enjoyed learning to work the camera from a different perspective. “Photojournalism is extremely powerful,” she said.
In addition to her passion for journalism, Utter is actively involved with the TCU Showgirls dance team, Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity, and the Frogs Fighting Cancer club. She admits balancing all of her interests in addition to her academics is often a challenge, but that she would not want it any other way. Her advice to other college students with a busy schedule is to utilize your time wisely throughout the day so you can maximize your sleeping time at night. “If you get sleep, you will perform so much better,” she said. “Time management is the key to success.”
Utter’s proudest accomplishment was making the TCU Showgirls dance team her first year. “I worked tirelessly for months to prepare for that audition. I had been thinking about auditioning for years. When I was accepted to TCU, I knew it was time to start working,” she said. “A little over 100 girls auditioned, and five new girls including me were added to the team. The feeling of hard work paying off is indescribable.”
Utter is grateful for the friends that TCU has brought into her life and considers the people she has met here like family. “TCU makes me feel included. The community truly sticks together,” she said. “I could not imagine myself anywhere else.”
One of her favorite restaurants to eat at for special occasions in Fort Worth is Eddie V’s Prime Seafood. She also enjoys local spots such as Bartaco and Sushi Axiom.
After graduating from TCU, Utter’s career aspirations include working as a reporter or broadcaster. “Something to kickstart my career as a broadcaster, whether its sports or general news; I just want to tell stories,” she said.
Advice Utter tries to live by is to always treat others with kindness and respect – just as you would want to be treated in return. “A kind heart can take you places,” she said. “It is so important to treat people how you would like to be treated. As a journalist, this advice is huge when deciding to publish something or not.”