SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Hernz Laguerre Jr. is known to his classmates, family and friends as a member of the Syracuse football team. Although his plans for after graduation are sports related, they don't include playing professionally..Instead, Laguerre is hoping to pursue a career in documentary sports journalism.
Laguerre received his Bachelor's at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in Broadcast and Digital Journalism (BDJ) and is taking his red shirt year to get his Master's at Newhouse in Television, Radio, and Film (TRF). Laguerre calls TRF an "add-on" to his BDJ degree.
"A lot of people say why the switch to TRF, but I don't see it as a switch," Laguerre said in a recent interview. "I see it as an add-on because I still wanna do journalism. TRF is going to help me in my other pursuit in doing documentary journalism."
The Syracuse defensive end not only wants to tell other people's stories, but he wants to tell his.
"I hope to tell people my story, inspire people and just (be) a role model," Laguerre said.
Laguerre hopes to inspire people through his journey onto the football team. Laguerre was a walk-on to the Syracuse Football team his freshman year, which has molded him to the person he is.
"Here's the mentality I have as walk-on," Laguerre said, "If everybody else performs at 90 percent, you have to perform at 100 percent. If you perform at 90 you're seen as less than. There's no room for mistakes."
Laguerre has the same mentality for football that he has in every aspect of his life.
"In anything I do on or off the field I'm trying to be the best I can be and it definitely was molded through football," Laguerre said.
There's a twinkle in Laguerre Jr.'s eyes when he talks about football, but that same twinkle is there when he talks about his long term journalism goals. He hopes to use his expertise in BDJ, TRF and sports to make documentary style films in sports journalism. He said that one of his favorite films of the kind is ESPN's 30 for 30.
Interview audio.
Jacqueline Mundry: Hello I'm here with Hernz and I'm going to ask him a few questions. So Hernz, you went here for undergrad, right?
Hernz Laguerre Jr.: Yes, ma'am.
Mundry: Why'd you decide to come here?
Laguerre: Ever since my sophomore year of high school I decided I wanted to go to Syracuse because of Newhouse. That's the year I also decided I wanted to do broadcast journalism so I did my research and figured out that Syracuse was one of the best schools for that, if not the best so I decided to come primarily for that.
Mundry: Are you from New York? Or where's home for you?
Laguerre: Spring Valley, New York. It's like four hours south of Syracuse, right by New York City.
Mundry: Do you like being here? Do you miss home a lot or is Syracuse home?
Laguerre: I'm not one to get homesick, like I'm kind of like, I just travel, I'm a wanderer I guess you could say. But to answer your question, I don't miss home but every time I do go home I love it. I always make it a point of emphasis to always go back to my high school and to see my fam and it always hurts but I come back here and it's same old, same old, you know what I'm saying. So it's never hard to leave home. But it's cool being here.
Mundry: Definitely. So what's home like, do you have siblings?
Laguerre: Home is pretty cool. I have an older sister her name is Iselande Laguerre, she's five years older than me. I have a father, mother. There's four of us you know, it's cool.
Mundry: So you play football here, what position are you?
Laguerre: Defensive end.
Mundry: Do you get a chance to play a lot in games?
Laguerre: No, not so much. It's funny, I played defensive end in high school and I only played my senior year of high school and then when I got here I walked on my freshman year and became a linebacker and they transitioned me to linebacker and I didn't really know the position so my first year I didn't do so well so I didn't get in the game at all. I feel like that kind of stunted my growth in terms of playing because you know, Shafer got a good momentum with the team so he wasn't trying to have anyone new and someone that didn't do well first off. But I kept on getting better, kept on getting hopeful and just kept working because that's the kind of person I am because why not so by God's grace, with Dino I have a chance of playing defensive end. They moved me back to defensive end so it's kinda cool. I always think everything happens for a purpose right. So I moved to linebacker, my linebacker coach was incredible in terms of character, which definitely helped me. Built a great discipline as a player and athlete and a person so I think I learned a lot as linebacker in terms of football and if anything, that prepared me more to play defensive end. If anything not playing for those years got me hungry to play and prepared me to play this season. I'm excited for the opportunity to start for Syracuse.
Mundry: Is this your first season back at defensive end of have you been playing for a few years.
Laguerre: No this is my first season back to defensive end. Once Dino came through and Coach Ward decided to put me at defensive end because they needed the spot to be filled and they thought I'd be a good candidate.
Mundry: Are you expecting to see some starts this year?
Laguerre: I'm working to start. I like to phrase it like that. I never believe you're entitled to anything. I think I have a great opportunity to do so and I think I could fill the position in excellence and I'm looking forward to that and I'm working for it.
Mundry: So what was the walk on experience like? and are you doing a red shirt fifth year? Is that why you're still playing?
Laguerre: Yeah this is my red shirt and this is what kind of inspired me to do this fifth year and this grad year at Newhouse as well. The walk on process was interesting. So to kind of explain the whole atmosphere. I called so many times my senior year of high school and as like 'hey how do I get on the football team' and they said 'when you get up here we'll talk.' and I thought they were giving me the run around. I got up here, I went to the student athlete orientation, although I wasn't an athlete yet, and met the liaison I had to speak to to get on the team. Long story short, I walked on on Labor Day, made it on but they weren't taking any more walk-ons that season, for Marrone's last season. I was practicing but I didn't really get to go to any games. They officially took me on when Shafer was head coach and the process was kinda crazy and I think that's because I changed positions. I was learning a new defense, as well as a new position, trying to transition to the collegiate level, trying to make a name for myself. Battling from the bottom up because I was a walk-on. Working with the new systems. He's trying to get the people with experience and the starters and stuff. It could be a bit discouraging at times but I'm grateful to say that I've kept a positive mentality through the whole thing. My faith kept me strong, my family. I walked on with one of my, I'm going to say my lifelong friend. My brother, his name is Eric Jackson, it was only him and I that made it on the team our year as a walk-on. and who are still here. and that made it possible to do. To have that support and always hoping for more. Even with other years I figured that 'man I have to bust my butt' here's the mentality I have as walk on. If everybody else performs at 90 percent, you have to perform at 100 percent. If you perform at 90 you're seen as less than. There's no room for mistakes. It kinda makes it a bit stressful and hectic but the way I see it, It kinda makes you be the best you can when you wanna beat the best in any way shape or form. So my position, or the title they have me under doesn't matter.
Mundry: Do you feel like that's molded you outside of the sport as well, as a person?
Lagerre: Oh so much, if anything it gave me a different mindset in terms of approaching things. I always see, in anything I do on or off the field I'm trying to be the best I can be and it definitely was molded through football. I feel like you just age faster through sports in general, especially in football. Because you learn so much about yourself as a person and especially when you're tired physically, you learn so much about your mind, so much about what you do when you're tired. So, it's funny how it transitions, or it reflects, football reflects a lot of my outside life and I think I'm at a position in my life that I'm trying to jump over a lot of hurdles and obstacles to achieve my goals but I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel like it's gonna set me up into a position where I'm gonna get the best from so I'm excited.
Mundry: So you did you're undergrad in BDJ, are you in TRF right now?
Laguerre: Yeah I'm in TRF right now.
Mundry: What's that transition been like?
Lagurerre: It's been cool, with BDJ you're mostly focused on getting the story making sure its executed well and just being done, it's way more fast paced I would say. With TRF it's definitely slower, you focus more on shot composition, you focus more on lightening and it's so much more detailed. It's funny, a lot of people say why the switch to TRF, but I don't see it as a switch, I see it as an add-on because I still wanna do journalism. TRF is going to help me in my other pursuit in doing documentary journalism, so I definitely am learning from that and learning from TRF to just help me get my shots better and to help me see a different side of the story as I did when I was BDJ I saw a different side, TRF is showing me a completely new way you can take on a story.
Mundry: Do you like it so far? Do you think it's gonna be really helpful for you long term?
Laruerre: Yeah I love it man, it's like a different animal, I just love the opportunity to make short movies. That's what we're doing right now. I can't wait to start doing what I really wanna do, documentary journalism. Definitely kindled a creative side to me in terms of different story telling and non-fiction, fiction. It's beautiful I love it.
Mundry: You say documentary journalism and you're also in the sports concentration so are you looking more E:60 or 30 for 30?
Laguerre: Yeah I love 30 for 30, one of my favorite documentary shows. Definitely I would love to go that route, but if anything I think just being a sports emphasis. I wasn't able to do a lot of sports related stuff when I was an under grad because of NCAA violations and stuff like that and I didn't really know the parameters of that so I kinda stepped out of the collegiate sports realm but doing sports emphasis allows me to practice those skills and I'm excited for that. I think practicing those skills can help me, even outside of sports journalism. Just in journalism in general. Robin Roberts did it. She first started with sports and now she's the lead anchor in Good Morning America so it definitely will help me overall. That's how I see it as. Plus I just love being in the room with Professor Nicholson. I had him when I was a freshman, kind of but not really. My class was the crew for his class. The senior class that does the newscasts and I just love the way he talks so I asked him to be my advisor. He's been a blessing as an advisor so I'm excited to just be in his class if anything and to be under a program that he is a part of.
Mundry: Well, Hernz, do you think there's anything else people should know about you?
Laguerre: I feel like I'm the type of dude that I'm very hopeful, I'm persistent, I'm a realistic optimist. I always see the way things are but I always hope for more. I hope to tell people my store, inspire people and just a role model.
Mundry: Well that's a good industry for you to be in if that's the way you look at life. This is Jackie Mundry and I'm here with Hernz Laguerre and we are all done.
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