By Emma Weidmann | Staff Writer
Sunnyvale senior Claire Knight and her fiance, Bossier City, La., senior William Lazenby, are looking forward to a life together following graduation this fall after getting engaged last month.
Knight and Lazenby began dating during their sophomore year at Baylor after meeting through mutual friends as freshmen. They grew to be close friends throughout the year, but eventually became inseparable. By the time the two started dating the following year, they had already built a solid friendship based on hanging out often and studying together at Moody Memorial Library.
“I sat next to her and I was making her laugh,” Lazenby said. “She was doing nursing so we were watching pimple popping videos and making jokes. And then, in the beginning of Welcome Week, we hung out almost 24/7. Moody is a special spot for us.”
The two would meet in between classes at the SUB Bowl, where William would hand off a box of Chick-fil-A fries to Claire so that she could have a snack on her way to class. It quickly became a tradition for the couple, who are set to marry in October.
“When we first started dating, he would get me my own Chick-fil-A fries and meet me right in the SUB Bowl and walk me to class,” Knight said. “Moody and Chick-fil-A at the SUB are our two places.”
Being able to be open and honest in a relationship is the key to success, according to Lazenby. He said having conversations about faith, or as he described it, giving each other their testimony, was one way that the two grew close and were able to be their honest selves with each other.
Knight said she comes from a Baylor family that stretches back generations. Her grandparents met at Baylor, as did her parents and her aunt and uncle. Similarly, her aunt and uncle on the other side of her family connected through graduating from Baylor. Despite the tradition, Claire didn’t go into her freshman year expecting to meet her husband at Baylor.
“It’s just something in my family, but I thought it would be a stretch for me. I thought, ‘I won’t even try,’” Knight said. “But there you go.”
Lazenby said the most important aspects in their relationship that make it successful are communication, as well as keeping their relationship Christ-centered. Before he proposed to Claire he prayed about it and decided it was the right time.
“It’s cheesy, but we have God as our foundation,” Lazenby said. “We had similar stories so we didn’t have to pretend to be someone else and we just laid it out with each other. Open communication is key. She’s my best friend forever.”
