Habitat chapter’s Homecoming build a labor of love for Clemson alum and faculty advisor Zoraya Rockow

Zoraya Rockow's first Clemson football game the year before moving back to the area following her husband's long military career was when Notre Dame visited Memorial Stadium in 2015. With the effects of Hurricane Joaquin serving as the backdrop, the Tigers and Fighting Irish played a thriller in front of 82,000+ rain-soaked fans. Forgive her if she's having flashbacks this week with Hurricane Helene adjusting her Homecoming plans - she and her husband were having their "forever" home built that year.

Rockow serves as faculty advisor to the Pickens County Habitat for Humanity chapter at Clemson. After serving as former advisor Bob Hogan's understudy for a year, she became lead faulty advisor in 2022. She's loved every minute of it.

"I'm here 100 percent for the students," says Rockow, a three-time Clemson alumna ('95 M '00 Ph.D. '20). "I love seeing them interact with different students, volunteers and community members. Clemson has been doing this for over 30 years … it's amazing!"

Originally from Puerto Rico, Rockow embarked on a long career as a project and construction management professional moving from Quebec to Mexico and a few states in between. She met her husband, Keith '96, at Clemson. He was an F-16 pilot in the U.S. Air Force, and they married at Clemson in 2001. They moved all around - from Japan to several of the continental states - before settling back into their "forever home" in Clemson following Keith's retirement as a lieutenant colonel. He's now a commercial airline pilot. Their son, Miles, is a junior computer science major at Clemson and daughter, Bella, is a senior at Daniel High School.

Rockow is a senior lecturer in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering. As faculty advisor for the Habitat chapter, she's put her project management skills to use - advising the student officers' yearlong efforts and ensuring all the details are meticulously planned in the construction of the 32^nd house on Bowman Field.

She's quick to credit the team behind this year's build, which has been interrupted by inclement weather and was ultimately suspended on Sept. 25. Andrew Tuz and Derek Bruno serve as chapter president and vice president, respectively, providing leadership to the student organization of more than 100 members. Charlie Rohaley coordinates the Homecoming logistics, while Kade Pilgrim oversees construction of the build. Supporting the charge in fundraising is a trio of students - Charlotte Freeman, Abigail Hartwell and Isabel Goodin. Additionally, there are a number of other officers completing the student team.

"Each of the officers have assistants or co-coordinators that do a great amount of work and contribute monthly to this year-round effort," she says, while noting the chapter's close relationship with Pickens County Habitat for Humanity, in particular Executive Director Tamara Dourney and Construction Coordinator Kevin Parris.

Each year, the Habitat for Humanity house on Bowman is provided to a family in Pickens County. Families go through an application process that includes 200 hours of documented assistance on another home and mandatory attendance at financial/home maintenance education courses. The build is driven by volunteers and is open to students, faculty, staff and community members.

Despite the challenges presented by the weather, Rockow wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

"Our entire existence as a chapter is to raise funds for this house and build the shell over these two weeks and continue finishing the home once it's moved to its final location," she says. "I'm so proud of the organization and what these students do in support of the Pickens County Habitat for Humanity mission."