Annual Legacy Luncheon celebrates Campbell connections across generations
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – More than 120 Campbell legacy students and their family members gathered for the annual Legacy Luncheon & Pinning Ceremony on Saturday, August 15, in the Oscar N. Harris Student Union Ballroom.
A Campbell Legacy is a student whose parent, grandparent or sibling graduated from Campbell. Hosted by the Campbell University Alumni Association each year on Move-In Day, the luncheon celebrates families who share a connection to the University and have carried their Campbell tradition from one generation to the next.
The program featured remarks from Lynn Rodgers (’90), a member of the Campbell University Alumni Board of Directors, who shared her perspective as the parent of a legacy student. Her daughter, Leah Rodgers (’23), arrived at Campbell in 2019 as a member of the women’s soccer program, continuing her family’s connection to the University.
The luncheon also recognized the 2026 Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship recipients, with Kendall Williams (’29) of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law sharing her experience as a Campbell legacy.
Williams’ parents met at Campbell and graduated in 1993, and she grew up visiting campus for sporting events, Discovery Camps and Homecoming. But when it came time for college, Williams was determined to create a path of her own.
She attended the University of South Carolina, graduating from its Honors College and School of Business, studied at ESSEC in France and had the opportunity to work alongside the USA Men’s Rugby team during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Eventually, her own path brought her back to the place that had played such a large role in her family’s story.
“Being a legacy student has made this new chapter feel less like starting over and more like moving homes,” Williams said.
Williams, whose twin brother also attended Campbell, said beginning law school has allowed her to experience firsthand the sense of community her parents had described throughout her life.
“For me, being a legacy doesn’t mean following exactly in my parents’ footsteps,” Williams said. “It means appreciating the path they took, learning from the community they found here, and then finding my own way within it. There is something really special about being able to walk into a place where your family once walked, while knowing that you are still going to make your own memories there.”
She concluded by encouraging the newest generation of Campbell legacy students to embrace their own journeys.
“I am proud to be a Campbell legacy, not because I followed my parents’ path, but because I was able to find my own path and eventually discover that it could lead me here,” Williams said.
This year’s Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship recipients represent programs from across the University. In addition to Williams, the 2026 recipients are:
- Carter Abalos (’30), College of Arts & Sciences
- Kayden Dunkins (’30), School of Engineering
- Charles Glover (’29), School of Osteopathic Medicine
- Landen Huggins (’29), Divinity School
- Avery Matthews (’30), College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
- Carly Price (’30), Lundy-Fetterman School of Business
- Rachel Swenson (’30), School of Education & Human Sciences.
Following the traditional pinning ceremony led by Alumni Board President Morgan Timiney (’15, ’20), Campbell President Dr. William M. Downs closed the program with remarks welcoming students and families as the University enters a new academic year.
Click here to learn more about Campbell legacy families and the Alumni Association’s Legacy Luncheon & Pinning Ceremony.
To make a gift in support of the Legacy Scholarship, visit give.campbell.edu, select “other” in the “please give my gift to” field and enter “Legacy Scholarship” in the designation field.