Solid Gold Neighbor: City Growth
by Krista Brinser, Assistant Director, Community Relations - City Growth
It’s no secret, I love Waco.Ever since I set foot on campus as a student in 2011, my free time has been dedicated to exploring the city, getting acquainted with the shops and local haunts that housed hidden treasure awaiting discovery. I have bookcases at home lined with some of these very treasures, from art prints acquired from Congress Clothing to a mug collection that reads like a passport to the city’s many coffee shops. Even much of my furniture has been lovingly sourced from local resale and antique stores. Each item tells a story from the city – stories of entrepreneurial-minded individuals pursuing passions and tales from the past. Combined, these represent a broad movement of creators, innovators and artists working side by side to propel a then-slumbering downtown into a bright future.
Now, nearly a decade later, downtown Waco has been transformed by an influx of new retail, dining and events enjoyed by locals and tourists drawn to town for the Magnolia experience, and Baylor has embraced the spirit of the town like never before. To put it simply, Waco is cool. Now, more than ever, there are plenty of opportunities to experience this cool factor no matter what your interests may be—and that’s what Baylor’s Solid Gold Neighbor City Growth initiative is all about.
At Baylor, we are proud to call Waco home, and hope the feeling is mutual. We want to invest in our hometown – through shopping and dining locally, engaging with the arts and culture, and through weaving our faculty, staff and students into the fabric of our city in meaningful ways. Likewise, we hope the community takes pride in Baylor. Our hope is that everyone feels welcome on our campus, whether taking in a concert, attending a sporting event, or visiting Lady and Joy, our live bear mascots. Through the Solid Gold Neighbor Initiative and City Growth programming, we hope to define pathways in partnership with local businesses and organizations to facilitate just that. We can’t wait to collaborate with you!