How Far Lauren Sánchez Really Got In School

Before she was Mrs. Bezos, and before she made her living in entrepreneurship and philanthropy, Lauren Sánchez was a prominent broadcast journalist perhaps best known for her time on "Good Day L.A." and "Extra." Of course, you generally don't make it to such a prominent on-camera role without at least some formal training in the field. This begs the question: What exactly is Lauren Sánchez's educational background, and just how far did she actually get in school?

Well, as it turns out, Sánchez is actually quite well-educated. During her formative years, she overcame undiagnosed dyslexia in order to graduate from Del Norte High School in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1987. After finishing high school, Sánchez briefly attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque before packing up and moving out to the coast, where she began pursuing her communications degree in earnest. She enrolled at El Camino College in Los Angeles before transferring to — and eventually gradating from — the University of Southern California.

Still, school wasn't always easy for her Sánchez. However, it was her time at ECC that was arguably the most pivotal in her educational journey, as it was during that time that she was formally diagnosed with dyslexia. "This book is for my 8-year-old self who really felt dumb," Sánchez said on Good Morning America while promoting her children's book "The Fly That Flew to Space" in 2024. Sánchez recalled that it was an ECC teacher who eventually clocked her problem, telling her, "You are not dumb, you just can't spell." From there, Sánchez got tested, got the help she needed, and "went from a 2.0 student who was barely making it to a 3.8, got into USC and became a journalist."

Though Lauren Sánchez would eventually all but walk away from journalism, by all accounts, she was incredibly dedicated to the field during her time in college, both in an out of the classroom. According to El Camino College in a 2012 "where are they now?" profile, Sánchez was a member of the school's newspaper staff while enrolled there. After she started attending the University of Southern California, Sánchez also became an intern at the Los Angeles TV station KCOP-TV, where she would later land a staff position. "She was very driven and no one was going to stop her from reaching her goals," ECC broadcast journalism professor Lori Medigovich said in the 2012 article, adding, "She did exactly what she said she would do."

Over a decade later, Medigovich echoed this sentiment in a 2023 piece published by Vogue. "I've taught thousands of students, but Lauren was memorable because she seemed so driven. Lauren knew exactly what she wanted to do," the professor said. Vogue also notes that Medigovich is the one who helped Sánchez get a scholarship that allowed her to transfer to USC in the first place. Sánchez herself certainly hasn't forgotten this — and it still makes her emotional. "She literally changed the trajectory of my life," Sánchez told the outlet. "By the way, I never used to cry. This is him. I blame you," she continued, referring to now-husband Jeff Bezos.