2025 Fall Graduate Spotlight: Peyton Alexander Beck
A Journey of Growth, Grit and Giving Credit Where It’s Due
On December 13, 2025, Peyton Alexander Beck stepped onto the stage and accepted his degree from the University of North Texas. For many, graduation is a milestone. For Peyton, it’s a statement — the closing of a chapter that began in uncertainty and evolved into a journey marked by resilience, reinvention and unexpected strength.
Peyton’s story didn’t follow a straight line. He graduated from Reedy High School in 2020, a year no one will forget. While most seniors countdown to prom, celebrations and goodbyes, Peyton’s class stepped into a world paused by COVID-19. College no longer felt like the clear next step — it felt optional, abstract. And for Peyton, uncertainty outweighed excitement.
In fall 2020, UNT was quiet — masked hallways, hybrid classes and distanced dorm life. Living in Kerr Hall, Peyton learned independence in its rawest form: managing life, school and responsibility without the familiar safety net of home. He entered as a graphic design major, leaning into the artistic talent that made him an award-winning animator in high school. But as coursework intensified, Peyton realized that his passion didn’t necessarily align with his long-term goals.
Sophomore year at Victory Hall brought a shift — not just academically, but emotionally. The campus began to reopen, students returned, energy returned. Peyton joined the NAACP and Black Student Union, found community and began experiencing the college life he imagined before the world shut down. This renewal mirrored his own personal reset.
Still, college is a space where evolution is constant. Peyton switched majors — from graphic design to sports marketing — and even considered joining UNT’s football team, a nod to his history as a standout high school athlete. But he made a calculated decision: academics needed to come first. It was another moment of maturity and self-awareness.
He also explored joining Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, inspired by his father and older brother, who are proud members. When his GPA fell just below the eligibility threshold, Peyton didn’t give up — instead, he focused on improving academically to pursue membership through a graduate chapter. Growth became his guiding theme.
But the turning point came in a classroom. Peyton enrolled in a course with the late Dr. John Baen, a beloved UNT professor known for his humor, wisdom and unmatched influence in the real estate program. Baen didn’t just teach — he inspired. His passion for real estate ignited something in Peyton that had been waiting for direction. That spark led to Peyton’s final and defining major change to real estate.
The shift meant new coursework, new expectations and essentially starting fresh. But Peyton had already learned to adapt — and this time, he leaned in with purpose.
During his junior and senior years, Peyton added another demanding responsibility: working at Walmart to help pay tuition and fees. Balancing long shifts, full course loads and mounting responsibilities wasn’t easy, but it taught him discipline, time management and a work ethic that strengthened his resolve.
Through every adjustment, setback and restart, Peyton grew — not just academically, but personally. And he’s clear about what got him through.
“I’ve got to give credit where credit is due — the Lord and my parents for not giving up on your boy,” he says. “Because I would’ve been gone, dropped out even. So that part at the end, forget faith in myself. This graduation isn’t just for me. It’s for the family, friends and most importantly God Himself.”
It’s a sentiment that captures both his humility and his humor, and it speaks to the support system that carried him when he wasn’t sure he could carry himself.
Today, Peyton stands on the edge of a new beginning with clarity and ambition, now a proud graduate of UNT — the place where his foundation was built. UNT gave him independence, friendships, mentors and a sense of direction he never expected. It shaped him into a student — and a man — ready to move through the world with focus and intention.
Peyton plans to launch a career in corporate real estate, taking with him the lessons of perseverance, adaptability and faith that defined his journey.
His path wasn’t linear. It wasn’t predictable. It wasn’t perfect. It was real — and authentically his own. And now that he has crossed the stage, the world feels bigger, brighter and full of possibility for a young man who fought hard to reach this moment.