Pursuing Her Dream

Have you ever thought about where your life would be if someone had made a different decision than they did? For Alexa Roth, the decision her parents made to adopt her from Russia at eight months old altered the course of her life forever.

“To think I could have been anywhere else, I could have been with whoever, but I have parents that are my adoptive parents, who put so much into making sure that I could follow my dreams,” Roth said. “That I could get to where I wanted to be. And just to think about where I could be even in Russia is just, it's like, wow, I'm here. I'm living my dream, and I'm going to make the best of it. And it's crazy to think.”

However, the journey to living her dream was no easy one. Although she had supportive parents, other people around her were not so supportive. Roth was the media relations coordinator for her athletic department, but the department would not help her get to where she wanted to be.

“I asked to get press releases and press passes to go and do a stand up on the field, because that's what I eventually want to do. sideline reporting,” Roth said. “And they said, no, there's too many people on the field, we can't help you with that.”

Roth eventually sat down with her boss at work worried about the fact that she was not enjoying what she was doing in school. 

Her boss asked her the question, “what are some things you love to do?”

 Roth said, “I don't really know right now, but I'm good at writing and I really love sports.”

“Okay, well, this might sound crazy, and out of your comfort zone, but go down to the school newspaper and ask if you can write for the sports department. See how you like that.” He told her.

Roth ultimately loved that job and knew from then on, it is what she wanted to do. Because of the events that have taken place in her life and the people who have and haven’t helped her along the way, Roth is now moving forward with her dream of becoming a sideline reporter. She is pursing that dream by studying Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Newhouse.

To listen to the full interview or view the transcribed version, click the link below.

Interview with Alexa Roth