Texas Alpha Liza Hill visited the University of Texas at Austin (UT) many times before deciding it was where she would attend college. Austin is not too far from her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. UT has a strong reputation for academics so Liza knew it would be a great place to earn her degree in Biochemistry. And each time she visited the campus, she continued to feel how UT fostered a warm and kind environment. But it was thanks to encouragement she received during her summers at camp that helped Liza fall head over heels for the University.

Beginning at age seven, Liza attended Camp Waldemar, an all-girls Christian camp that fosters growth in young girls. It was at this camp where Liza met Texas Alpha Emily Beckham. Emily was a counselor, and as Liza started to consider which colleges she wanted to attend, Emily was happy to suggest UT. Liza remembers her conversations with Emily: “She would say ‘I don’t care what you say, you should look at Texas!’ I came to visit and loved it! She was such a positive, great influence on me,” she says.

Liza not only attended camp for 10 years as a camper, but she herself became a counselor for three years. After four terms as a camper, each girl receives a token from the camp. Many girls make their tokens into rings that they can wear everyday. As I was chatting with Liza, she was wearing her Camp Waldemar ring. She told me a story about a time she was sitting on an airplane and the man sitting next to her said, “You went to Camp Waldemar.” He explained his daughter wore her ring every day, too! The ring is such a great reminder of how special it is to be part of something as big and widespread as this camp. It is clear that Camp Waldemar holds a special place in the hearts of so many people.