A Bear Without Borders

October 9, 2026

“Baylor means family,” says Christy Rome (B.S. ’99, M.S. ’02). From her first campus visit during Homecoming in 1994, she felt at home. While her mother admired the beautiful buildings, Christy was drawn to the people — and felt God calling her to Baylor.

Blonde girl standing outside of a cement building in a gray t shirt and blue jeans — Christy Rome (B.S. ’99, M.S. ’02) as a student outside of the Bill Daniel Student Center

Her time at Baylor gave her lifelong friendships that continue through shared vacations, game-day messages and the knowledge that she can count on her friends anytime, day or night. She also developed a love for Baylor traditions, including the Homecoming parade, Tuesday Dr Pepper floats and the Baylor Line. A knee injury during her freshman year kept her from running with the Line, but in 2011, she finally had her moment, helping lead the Line onto the field.

Through Student Government, Student Foundation and Baylor Ambassadors, Rome gained experiences that helped shape her future. As a Grant recipient, she traveled to Austin to advocate for students like herself. That experience sparked a career at the intersection of education and policy, including work with the Texas Senate Committee on Education and years leading a statewide public school advocacy organization.

Baylor also broadened her perspective beyond Texas. During a graduate school trip to Thailand, where she visited schools and met missionaries translating the Bible, Rome discovered a desire to explore other cultures. Years later, when she felt God calling her away from her longtime career, she found encouragement in Samuel Palmer Brooks’ immortal message: “no fear — only faith.”

“I decided to stop putting off seeing the world ‘someday’ and to make my someday today,” she says.

Rome left her job without another lined up and spent a year exploring 20 countries across five continents.

“I took the charge to fling my green and gold afar literally, embracing unfamiliar places and trusting where God would lead." — Christy Rome

Today, Rome has returned to full-time work, but her adventures are far from over. She is planning to reach her seventh continent in early 2027, carrying her Baylor spirit wherever she goes.

Back home in Austin, surrounded by Longhorns, Rome has earned the nickname “Super Bear.” When someone expresses surprise at meeting another equally devoted Baylor fan, she is hardly surprised. “I just smile and politely explain that’s the only way we come," she says.