First-year students gathered around Fountain Mall to commemorate their first year at Baylor. Through ice cream, yard games and fellowship with friends, many students reflected on a year of growth.

Waco’s former premier sporting venue hosted professional baseball teams, historic integration games and even the town’s first presidential visit. Its legacy, though tainted, tells the story of the town it called home.

Graduation style advice often splits into two extremes: play it completely safe or chase every trend. Neither quite works for a moment like this. What you wear walking across that stage should feel like you, refined, intentional and built to last beyond the day itself.

Despite uncertain job prospects amid stringent visa restrictions and policy changes in the U.S., graduating international students at Baylor remain hopeful and faithful as they navigate the next chapter of their lives.

With the major motion picture adaptation of “Backrooms” being less than a month away, it’s surprising how little hype it’s amassed on mainstream channels. On social media, aside from the week the initial teaser came out, the reception has been very sparse.

Baylor has been a blessing for me these past four years, but it’s time to say goodbye.

It’s funny how the smallest things can make an impression on us. And across nine semesters at The Lariat, there have been plenty. I’ll miss late-night Andy’s runs, traveling to cover the biggest Baylor sporting events, shooting hoops in the newsroom and even waking up before 6 a.m. to rush over to campus to deliver papers. Above all else, I’ll miss the people in the newsroom whose voices constantly make me smile.

From being on the track and field team to building a social media brand, alum Keviah Ealy had no shortage of accomplishments during her time at Baylor. After graduation, Ealy made the decision to take a gap year — a choice that has now led her to starring in the third season of “Vanderpump Villa” on Hulu.

When ChatGPT’s release brought large language models to the forefront in 2022, it also sparked a flurry of private-sector breakthroughs. Bigger and better models and the introduction of AI agents have created a challenging disparity between newly relevant skills and what’s taught in the classroom.

Four years after freshman move-in, the Honors Residential College dorms remain home to many graduating seniors today. While many students started looking for off-campus housing for their freshman or sophomore years, some seniors found the community of Memorial and Alexander Residence Halls worth sticking around for.

Centerton, Ark., senior Gracie Lawhon is graduating with her bachelor’s in biology; however, unlike the majority of students, she is the first in her family to graduate. She currently serves as the student outreach specialist for the student organization First in Line and is a Trailblazer Scholar.

In the final weeks before graduation, time feels different for students preparing to walk the stage. Outside Pat Neff Hall, caps and gowns hang from arms while seniors in suits and white dresses stop to take turns for one more picture in front of the building which has framed their time at Baylor.

Meet Sam Henderson, assistant professor of theater and film, who serves as the reader that announces names during graduation. His voice has swept graduates across the commencement stage using his skills as an accomplished actor and professor since 2021.

Graduation season is here, and students are faced with the option to invest in their own, custom Baylor rings to treasure their university experience.
The Baylor ring tradition honors the university’s legacy as one of its meaningful traditions that has stood the test of time.

What started as an at-home hobby for owner Morgan Francis has now grown into a second storefront for Apple Gal in Waco, expanding from its original location in Tyler. Apple Gal now serves the community with unique candy apple flavors like circus animal and cookie butter.

While first-generation students make up an estimated 16% of Baylor’s student body, Frisco senior Liberty Ferguson said significantly fewer take advantage of the available scholarships and programming, making student engagement a key success factor.

From Baylor athletics to Fountain Mall swims, tune in for a guide to graduating seniors on do’s and don’ts for the last stretch of time at Baylor, from a senior.

As a Spring senior in Baylor’s Air Force ROTC program, Alissa Zenero earned the Distinguished Graduate designation, awarded to the top 10% of ROTC cadets across the country, while also securing a coveted reserve pilot slot to fly the C-5M Super Galaxy out of Dover, Del.

Last year, two Baylor business students formed a nonprofit to collect dorm items during move-out and donate them to charities in need. Now after Bear-ly Used’s first year of operations, which donated over 13 storage pods worth of appliances, furniture and other goods, the team is back with bigger plans.

Baylor’s Laparoscopy Lab, known across campus simply as Laparo, gives freshmen hands-on surgical training and a full year of guided research experience before they ever apply to medical school.

With seven games remaining in the regular season, Baylor looks to continue gaining ground on the NCAA Tournament bubble after taking a weekend series against Texas Tech.

As finals arrive and campus begins to slow, Baylor athletics is only picking up speed. With postseason play across the board, May will define which teams keep their seasons alive and which ones make a championship push.

Baylor guard Will Kuykendall, who came to Waco after two years with the Arizona Wildcats, is back in the transfer portal after a meaningful year with the Bears.

In a regular season filled with ups and downs, a young Baylor squad was forced to grow up quickly. But through the gauntlet of the Big 12, the Bears showed resilience as they matured into a postseason-ready team.

Baylor’s season came to a close Sunday as the Bears fell 4-1 to Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Students who live in three of the two-year dorms at Baylor — Teal Residential College, Honor Residential College or Brooks Residential College — sign a two-year contract when they move in. For some, the experience grows their community. For others, it’s a fight to get out of the contract.

Baylor men’s and women’s tennis won their first-round NCAA Tournament games, with the men moving on to host a Super Regional. Plus, softball won its biggest game of the year against the Red Raiders.

By Sam Gassaway | Photo Editor

Baylor took the first two games of the series, but dropped Sunday’s finale after a five-run ninth inning put Texas Tech in front of Baylor 8-3.

Behind another commanding doubles point and singles wins from Luc Koenig, Devin Badenhorst and Alexandru Chirita, Baylor protected home court Saturday to keep its postseason run alive. With the win, the Bears move one step closer to the NCAA quarterfinals and return to Waco next weekend with even bigger stakes.