If you ask Kansas Alpha Claire Tamar where she is from, the answer she gives you has you zipping across the continental United States a few times. The answers include Los Angeles, California to Washington D.C. to St. Louis, Missouri to Seattle, Washington. But the newest addition is Lawrence, Kansas where Claire is attending the University of Kansas (KU).

As exciting as it was for her to see so many different areas of the country while growing up, Claire had a lot of temporary friendships that seemingly became too difficult to sustain. Living in the residence halls during her first year at KU, Claire was not sure she would find the lasting friendships she had hoped college would give her. So she participated in primary recruitment on a whim. Today, Claire is thrilled with her decision that she joined Pi Beta Phi.

As soon as she could, Claire began attending lunches at the chapter house. Not only was the food good, but she was also able to build relationships with women in her New Member class and other, older members of the chapter. Showing up for lunch, even though she didn’t know a soul, did not push Claire too far out of her comfort zone because she’s used to having to make new friends since she moved a lot growing up. By the second semester of her freshman year, Claire had a developed a close friend group. This year, she has a new experience to enjoy: living in the chapter house with dozens of her best friends!

Claire truly believes college is a great experience, especially if you can explore life with people you click with. She has found these lifelong friendships with her Pi Phi sisters. Claire admits, “I tell them I am looking for my future bridesmaids,” she said.