Skip Navigation

OU Welcomes Gaylord Alum Lauren Brookey Back to School


 


Feature

OU Welcomes Gaylord Alum

Lauren Brookey Back to School

By Carleigh Foutch


One of Gaylord's own is now at the helm of the university's marketing and communications department. Here's how Lauren Brookey's Gaylord degree helped her in her current role as vice president.

1. What was your degree in?

Lauren Brookey: My degree was News Communications. I’m not sure that exists today. But journalism was my goal.

2. What was your first job out of college?

LB: My first, first job was as a cashier at Renberg's. My husband and I had just moved back from Dallas so he could take a job in Tulsa. I went to work at Renberg’s and within a few months I was working at The Tulsa Tribune. I was thrilled to get a beat as a new reporter. I was the health reporter. It was a wonderful introduction to Tulsa and it was a “meaty” beat covering everything from the emergency service board to hospital boards and lots of features.

3. How has your Gaylord degree helped shape your career?

LB: Actually the Gaylord facility wasn’t around when I attended OU. I took all my journalism classes in Copeland Hall and I spent all four years working on the OU Daily. Eventually I became Editor. The practice experience and opportunity to freelance for the larger daily newspapers was added value to my educational experience and it helped pay for college too!

4. What would you tell current students about capitalizing on their time in Gaylord? What would you tell young alumni?

LB: I would tell students the same thing my father told me when he dropped me off as a freshman “take every single opportunity you can to be around the professionals and faculty you will be exposed to at OU – even if it means sweeping the floor.” He was right. Every time I had an opportunity outside the classroom I took it. I walked into a daily newsroom after graduation fully confident and with a network of journalists who were supporting my success. If I had just gone to class, I would not have been as prepare or as confident.

5. Anything else you'd like to add?

LB: I attribute my success in life and the success of my family to OU. It was a launching pad for everything that came after. But each of us is responsible for maximizing our experiences. You must be fully present to win. I also look back fondly on the faculty and professional advisors who cared about my development and success as a journalist. That’s the magic of the collegiate experience – the faculty and advisors who invest in you not for their success but for your own.