Growing up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Beta Emily Holland and her family have always cheered for Oklahoma State University (OSU). They proudly wear the school colors orange and black and take any opportunity to shout, “Go Pokes!” to show their support for the OSU Cowboys. When it came time to choose a college, Emily knew she too would go to OSU just like her sisters, Oklahoma Betas Laura and Ashley Nelson.

Growing up, her two older sisters would sing Pi Phi songs around the house, but Emily didn’t understand what a sorority was. They talked about Pi Phi traditions and events — Mom’s Day, date party — and do Pi Phi cheers around the family. It was not until their family visited OSU for Homecoming that Emily saw first hand what her sisters were doing and knew she too wanted to be part of these fantastic experiences.

Emily participated in primary recruitment with an open mind. Both her sisters had already graduated, and they supported her in finding the right fit for her. In the end, she followed her heart and followed in the footsteps of her two older sisters. “I knew [joining Pi Phi] was not required, but felt it was part of my family and a dream,” Emily said. “But it’s where I want to be. It is everything I expected to be, and I love it!”

Emily actively participates in the activities of Pi Beta Phi, like OSU Homecoming. Each sorority is paired with a fraternity for the week to create an imaginative design to match the Homecoming theme. For Homecoming 2015, Emily served as the Homecoming Director for Pi Phi when they paired with Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Together, the chapters spent months as the leader for this huge event. The chapters participate in “pomping,” which is stuffing tissue paper into the chicken wire grid and constructing decks together. The end result are stunning house decorations that cover the front of one of their chapter houses. It all culminates Friday evening in OSU’s famous “Walkaround” event in which thousands of people descend on Stillwater, Oklahoma, to see the fraternity and sorority houses decorated. It was worthwhile because they won the house decoration competition for the Greek-letter houses!

Some people have said Walkaround is “America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration” and one I hope to see in the future!