For most student-athletes, a Division I scholarship provides an opportunity to compete at the highest level while pursuing a degree.
 
For Chloe Cook, her scholarship to Campbell University has meant so much more.
 
In addition to becoming just the third player in Campbell volleyball's history to earn all-conference honors four times (along with her roommate Claranne Fechter), Cook played a vital role as the Camels won their first-ever league titles and a trip to the 2021 NCAA Championship tournament.
 
She also graduated with a degree in biochemistry and completing internships in the Research Triangle Park and in South Africa.
 
To say that Chloe Cook's time in Buies Creek, opened paths in athletic and professional development would be an understatement.
 
Perhaps, the opportunity Cook received when she accepted Coach Greg Goral's scholarship offer at age 16, might just have opened up the world for a young athlete from Nacogdoches, Texas.
 
In a recent zoom meeting, Chloe started the conference call with a view from the window of the apartment in Cape Town, South Africa she shares with her newlywed husband Jaden van der Merwe.  The city of Cape Town stretches across the foreground of her view of Table Mountain, which is recognized as one of the seven new wonders of world and is South Africa's most photographed landmark.
 
The generosity of Fighting Camel fans, alumni, family, and friends truly makes a difference in the lives of student-athletes at Campbell University.  Through the newly created Women's Empowerment Fund, the Fighting Camel Club's goal is to make that experience even better, specifically for our female student-athletes.  To join the Fighting Camel Club, click here.
 
A busy summer
Chloe walked across the stage and accepted her diploma on May 11 at Gore Arena, then moved back home to East Texas to spend admittedly the longest stretch of time with her parents, Stanley and Christie, since she journeyed to Campbell in August 2020 to start her freshman year.
 
Jaden, who Chloe met last summer while completing a study abroad internship, flew in to visit the family.  The last week of June was certainly an eventful one.  On June 26, Jaden proposed.  Two days later, the couple married.  On July 1, Jaden and Chloe departed for Cape Town, where he continues his law studies, and she anticipates enrolling in graduate school.
 
One month later, she awaits approval for a visa to work as a lab technician or research assistant until she is notified by the University of Cape Town of her acceptance in its molecular biology master's program.
 
How it started
Chloe also participated in basketball and track and field at Central Heights High School, but soon turned her full attention to volleyball, in which she earned all-state honors three times.  She competed first for the East Texas Juniors volleyball club then for TAV Houston.
 
She also began playing the violin at age four and took lessons from about age eight to 16.  Trained classically, Chloe's repertoire also included Texas fiddle, Celtic and bluegrass.
 
When she first set foot on Campbell's campus on a recruiting visit, Chloe said that she soon felt at home.
 
"Coach Greg really was extremely kind and honest," said Chloe.  "Getting to have contact with someone who was so honest and welcoming, really made a difference.  Also getting to know some of the girls on my visit.  I thought, 'these people are really cool' and I could see myself spending every day, every hour with them for the next four years."
 
Visits with professors and staff members sealed the decision for Cook, despite the fact that Buies Creek is a 17-hour drive from her parents' home.  "I just remember having a very good feeling about Campbell and the people. It's a tight-knit family and they honestly want the best for their students."
 
One factor many college-bound students consider when making their choice is proximity to home.  Chloe's interest in broadening her horizons – perhaps inspired by her mother – did not limit her search.
 
"My mom traveled quite a bit in her 20s," said Cook.  "She got a Rotary Scholarship and traveled through Europe and backpacked.  Maybe hearing those stories instilled a little bit of adventure in me.  I've always had a love for experiencing new cultures and new people."
 
Cook, Fechter and their teammates had to wait until the spring semester of 2021 to begin their collegiate competitive seasons.  As the world emerged slowly out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fall semester featured a hybrid of in-person and virtual classes, regular Covid tests for student-athletes and staff, and no outside competition in volleyball.
 
Finally in the spring semester of 2021, Campbell and the rest of the Big South Conference played a 16-game, league-only schedule.  The Camels finished 11-5 overall and runner-up in the regular season.  Chloe was named Big South freshman of the year.
 
A change
Later that summer, Chloe decided to change her major to biochemistry, one that required multiple labs each semester.
 
"Obviously it was tougher during the season, when you're trying to do your labs and you're traveling every week," said Cook.  "It was pretty difficult, but worth it in the end.  I'm glad that I have the extensive background that a biochemistry major provides."
 
Athletes not only have to juggle practice, travel, competition and workout schedules, but also time for class, study, and rest.  Having a coaching staff that understood those demands along with professors who were willing to be flexible with their hours, allowed Cook to manage her time and health.
 
At times when Cook had little rest the night before while taking care of class responsibilities, the coaching staff would allow her to rest rather than attend an early morning individual workout.  Beyond that, Chloe is grateful for the willingness of her professors to accommodate her busy schedule.
 
When she had to miss class due to team travel, Chloe's professors allowed her to make office hour visits to catch up on work and provide individual attention.
 
"The professors were so understanding," she said.  "That was amazing; having professors who realize you're playing for your university, not just playing hooky."
 
The titles
In her sophomore season, Cook and her teammates finally accomplished what no previous Campbell volleyball team was able to manage since the program's inception in 1985 – win a conference title and secure an automatic berth in the NCAA championship. It was truly a team effort in the fact that not one Camel was named to the Big South all-conference first team, despite the squad posting a 14-2 mark and a second-place regular season finish.
 
The feeling Cook experienced when the Camels defeated archrival High Point 3-2 in the Big South Championship at home in Gore Arena is one she will not likely forget anytime soon.
 
"It's what you work all season for, all off-season for, all summer is for that specific moment," said Cook.  "That's why it's such a high because you put so many hours in.  From the beginning of the season you say, 'hey guys, this is our goal.'  Every day, every hour, every weight session you have that goal in the back of your mind. And all of a sudden that last whistle blows, and you get the point to give you the conference championship title, and it's just amazing!"
 
Playing in front of nearly 8,000 fans at national power Nebraska in the NCAA first round was another highlight, one that the team built upon the following year when the Camels again finished 14-2 and claimed their first-ever league regular season championship.
 
Real world experience
Following her sophomore season, Cook landed an internship during the summer of 2022 with Lindy Biosciences in the Research Triangle Park where she became skilled in or educated on such skills as ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, high-performance liquid and ion-exchange chromatography and planning experimental projects.
 
One year later, she not only expanded her practical knowledge, but also her world view.
 
Her internship in Indalo Genetics in Cape Town not only allowed Cook to receive specialized training in cytogenetics, but she was also to gain proficiency in operating varied equipment for assaying chemical disorders.  She also managed the reception and analysis of blood and saliva samples, focusing primarily on running paternity tests.
 
Beyond her practical and lab work, she experienced a different culture and made new friends, including her future husband.
 
Accepting a position that required a 17-hour flight from the States again was an easy choice for Chloe.
 
"I knew I really wanted to have that study abroad experience," said Cook.  "I had one of the best experiences of my life.  I came by myself.  I had no idea where I was, I had no idea what grocery stores were called."
 
She quickly adjusted to her new surroundings.
 
"I met friends, got situated in my work, and I know it sounds very cliché, very corny, but I got to rediscover myself," said Cook.  "I got to see what it's like to be on your own, not surrounded by coaches and friends you've had for years.  It was a really, really cool experience, and I would urge people to do it if they can."
 
Volleyball is not widely played in South Africa, so Cook wasn't able to practice regularly, but she did make acquaintances with people who enjoyed exercising and had work out partners to stay fit for when she returned to Buies Creek for preseason training.
 
Cook also believes that a break from sport-specific training was personally beneficial.
 
"I think having a mental break from the sport, I came back more motivated, more refreshed to play volleyball again," said Cook.  "As a senior, sometimes, you experience a little bit of a burn out, so to come back with that mental freshness actually helped my game a lot my last season."
 
A life-changing summer
 
For Chloe, moving from Texas to North Carolina to attend college wasn't difficult, apart from being able to visit her parents regularly.  She admits that spending time abroad was always on her wish list.
 
"Taking that next step of going across seas to a new country and getting to really immerse yourself in a new culture, meet new people, make new friends, figure out how to get to where you're going to work, taking the bus, kind of makes you put on your big girl pants and learn how to do life," Cook said.  "It was extraordinary, getting to meet people, meet the locals, hear people's stories, their struggles and what they've gone through, gives you a new perspective on things.
 
"It's something I always knew I wanted to do," she continued.  "I thought I would play professional volleyball overseas, or another notion was that I'd get a PhD overseas.  Now I'm getting my master's overseas, but the cherry on top is that I'm now married to someone from Cape Town."
 
The vocation
What makes Cook interested in exploring different places and cultures might also have something to do with her chosen field.
 
"We've only explored something like two percent of the ocean; there's so much unknown," Cook explained.  "It's that concept to me. It's like another universe inside our bodies that we're not even aware of all that goes on. Being able to research those tiny cells, DNA and all that wonderful stuff that goes on inside our bodies is to me almost magical. On top of that, I want to go into genetic counseling, being able to not only learn and research but go one step further and help people understand what's going on with them, being able to diagnose people with diseases they didn't know they had is fascinating to me."
 
The opportunity
It's clear that Cook relishes the opportunity that her athletic scholarship provided, not just in terms of finances, competitive experiences and other easily quantifiable points.
 
"During those times when you're in the middle of the moment, and you think, 'this isn't much fun. Working out every day, it's 6 a.m. and the alarm goes off and you think, why? Why did I do this?' But then you think back to your 13- 14- 15-year-old self that wanted this scholarship and wanted this opportunity more than anything in the world, and you think back to that girl who worked so hard, sent out so many recruiting videos just hoping and praying to get a scholarship.
 
"And now you have it and you get to put on your school jersey and go out and compete for your university, it's a very, very special deal, one that can easily be taken for granted if you don't have that perspective of 'this is what I worked hard for, I get to be here, I get to play the sport, I'm healthy and I have this amazing scholarship that helps me pay for my education," she said.  "Looking back at those opportunities, it's totally worth those 6 a.m. wake up calls or the moments you're tired, or taking naps in the library before practice, I'm so thankful and so blessed for those opportunities to just play volleyball."
 
The future
Chloe and Jaden are intent on completing their education before returning to the States where he plans to practice law.
 
"I'm very excited to continue my education," she said.  "Beyond that, I want to make an impact any way I can in volunteer work, the ministry or somewhere else, traveling to less fortunate places here and helping any way I can."
 
Words of advice
If asked by someone just starting out on their college experience, Cook would urge that person to understand their opportunity.
 
"Regardless of whether you're on scholarship or not, getting an education is something that so many people take for granted, but so many people in this world would give anything for – a university level education," she said.  "A personal piece of advice. Cling on to God. You can feel isolated at times. Having that relationship with God – whatever stage of the journey you're on – you can rest easy in His hands. That can be helpful for a lot of people."