There’s a lot of character in Waco, Texas. It’s a true college town filled with mom and pop stores, many boasting the motto “Keep Waco Wacky.” There is a special connection between the town and Baylor University (BU), which is easy to see as green and gold, the school’s colors, are found everywhere. Besides the school spirit that is unmistakable when you are in town, Texas Zeta Claire Holcomb was drawn to Waco because of the values of BU and the morals they expect their students to uphold. She wanted to grow as a person, especially in her faith, and that was the main reason she was drawn to spend her collegiate years in Waco.
The town is small, but that allows the students so many opportunities to get involved in the community. This involvement is part of the tradition of the school. One way the students can be involved is through “Steppin’ Out,” a program providing service in the greater Waco area coordinated by the University’s Office of Community Engagement & Service. Claire has joined in the annual service day by picking up trash along the side of the road and painting houses. But Claire has not done it alone; she has partaken with her Pi Phi sisters.
Opportunities to participate in community service are shared within the Texas Zeta Chapter. And it’s not just because the opportunities are shared that makes Claire proud. It is also the support shown by the leadership that makes her proud. Each service opportunity is shared with a note reading “this is our opportunity to help, let’s do it together.” The positive manner really encourages the members to make an impact – and they all do!
As she was hoping to grow as a person, Claire believes she owes much of her college experience to Pi Phi. The feeling she has is that one can come into Pi Phi as one person and leave a different person, and that the change is a good thing. “When I lay my head down, I am confident in thinking all these women purposefully chose Baylor, but they also all purposefully chose Pi Phi,” she said. “Every woman in the chapter wants to be here.” There is a strong desire to build each other up, she explains.
And although they do not have a chapter house, the majority of the members live with other Texas Zeta sisters. It is evident that the sisterhood is so strong in this chapter. “Through Pi Phi, I met my best friends,” says Claire, “But I know every girl in the chapter will say the same.”