‘No handouts, just hustle’: Tarleton’s Alexis Cole overcomes obstacles, defies the odds

BY HANNAH BROOKS

Multimedia Journalist

Alexis Cole is a personal trainer, nutrition coach and student at Tarleton State University.

She will graduate in May 2025 with a major in sports management and a minor in coaching. She’ll be immediately turning around to begin her masters in recreation and facility management.

In addition, she’ll be stepping in as the Grad Assistant (GA) for the wellness and fitness sector of the Recreation Center on campus.

But her story is far more than this alone.

She was raised in Fort Worth, Texas by her adoptive parents.

She was pushed to excellence and accordingly attended a college preparatory academy in place of public high school, near Keller-Saginaw . She wore a uniform daily and had to learn Chinese and Spanish.

“I was always pushed in the direction of going to college,” Cole said.

But even with her advanced schooling, going into college revealed itself to be no simple task.

“My parents had originally told me that my biological father’s death benefits money would assist me in college but one day they revealed it wasn’t in the account anymore. They also said they weren’t going to co-sign for any loans,” Cole said.

They continued to make it as hard as possible for Cole, further filing their FAFSA incorrectly so that she couldn’t acquire federal aid.

“It’s a lot to explain but it was a control thing for them,” Cole said.

Having only a few hundred saved up, Lexi entered her freshman year knowing she was going to have to keep up with paying out of pocket. She landed a job as a server at pastafina to help her stay at Tarleton.

Cole’ twin sister also came with her to Tarleton, but had to drop out after freshman year because of the cost.

Cole soon found herself struggling however not only with typical freshman woes, but also the revelation that many people that she thought were for her, like her adoptive parents, were not.

“I really struggled because I didn’t have a community to support me. I didn’t have many friends and the friends I did have drank a lot. I was also going through a horrific break-up and even made an attempt on my life,” Cole said.

She finished her freshman year coming off of academic probation, which made her evaluate what she really wanted for college.

“I had originally chosen nursing as my major and then after the first semester I realized it really wasn’t my passion, so I took one semester after that to do business, which still wasn’t working for me,” Cole said.

Cole started to branch away and devoted time to the gym, where she found her passion for all things health and wellness and decided to switch over to kinesiology.

During the summer after her freshman year, she met her now fiancee, Tristan Phillips.

Phillips graduated from Tarleton this past December. They’ll be getting married on June 20th in Palmer, Texas.

“My first impression of Alexis was that she had been through a lot,” Phillips said. “Many people had given up on her, and she felt alone. But despite the adversity, she remained strong. She struck me as someone determined to become self-made, to find her identity, and figure out who she wanted to be.”

In the midst of her own battles, Cole realized that her little sister was no longer safe with her adoptive parents and the fight for her to win custody of her began.

She was now balancing being a full-time student, working (as she was fully independent), and navigating the legalistics of getting her sister.

“My adoptive mom had put us on a ton of medication that we (her and her sister) didn’t need to take. She would take trips to Mexico to obtain some of these drugs. I used to feel actually crazy but my fiance was the one that convinced me that I didn’t actually need to take any of that medication. When I stopped, my whole mind changed,” Cole said.

As Cole continued her sophomore year as a kinesiology student, she felt that everything was so right for her. She had found her community in the gym and had professors that cared and supported her.

Cole made it through her sophomore year, beginning court battles and working at Anytime Fitness.

“They hired me knowing that I was a student. I had been doing classes throughout the summer and at this point I was on the Dean’s List,” Cole said.

When August came, she saw that her job had been posted on Indeed. When Cole approached her head trainer for advice for moving forward , he belittled her, angry in truth that she was transparent with customers about shady business dealings even though she had brought the highest sign up rates in the past three months she’d been there.

She left early and headed straight to the Tarleton Recreation Center with blotchy eyes.

“I was at the benches. The last Grad Assistant, Noe, who I’d never met, approached me and said ‘Hey you look like you know what you’re doing, do you want to be a personal trainer?’ I did of course and it was perfect timing,” Cole said.

Cole went to her interview at the recreation center in formal dress attire, later to find out she was the first student to do so.

She got the job and her training certificates, and never looked back at Anytime Fitness.

Around this same time, she began working at Jimmy John’s to pay her court fees.

“Right now, I’m the assistant manager at Jimmy John’s and I work full time over there. I’ve been there for almost 2 years now. Taking up another job was purely out of need. I am fully independent,” Cole said.

Through no easy feat, Cole finally won custody of her sister with the help of Cross Timbers family services and the district attorney.

“I ended up winning full legal custody of her over a year and a half ago. She’s been living with me; I’ve been her caretaker for over 2 years now,” Cole said.

The process wasn’t as simple as paper makes it seem.

“It was very stressful and I did not get support from any of my adopted family… My sister struggled mentally; she could not be left alone in a room. I had to take her to work with me for a few months. Even getting her into school was a challenge. There were a lot of tears and there were times where I thought my fiance was going to walk away, but he was always very supportive.”

Phillips reflects on how far Cole and their relationship has come since then.

“Alexis has grown tremendously,” Phillips said. “She’s become a top personal trainer, a President’s List student, and a manager at multiple facilities. For the past 2 years, beyond academics and work, she’s fought for and won custody of her younger sister, who is now graduating high school this year, has full-time student load while maintaining Presidents List, managing 40-50 hours a week at Jimmy John’s as an assistant manager, working 10–15 hours a week as a personal trainer at the campus recreation center, and planning our wedding for this June 2025. She proves that even in difficult circumstances, it’s possible to achieve your goals with resilience and determination.”

Even through everything, Cole speaks with extreme compassion and grace.

“Everyone’s struggles are their own. I feel grateful for my life and am happy with where I am.

But I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t gone through what I have. I don’t look at things as unfair. I focus on a ‘I get to’ mindset. I get to work this job. I get to have this income.”

Cole will finish her bachelor’s at Tarleton on a high note.

“These past four years have been the most challenging but rewarding because it pushed me in so many ways, including from a personal aspect. It pushed me to see things from a different perspective.”

Cole’s story is a story of courage and incredible resilience.

It’s a model for walking in compassion and being decorated with integrity.

Her story teaches us that we can reclaim our own lives, no matter the circumstances.

Good luck and thank you for being you.