Today’s alumni volunteer spotlight features Jillian Summers (’16). Jillian received her B.A. in Trust and Wealth Management with a minor in Financial Planning from Campbell University in 2016. She is an integral member of the Cape Fear Alumni Chapter leadership team and enjoys staying connected and giving back to her alma mater.
We asked Jillian several questions regarding her involvement with Campbell:
1. What brought you to Campbell University? My journey to Campbell was a beautiful accident. Originally, I signed to play lacrosse at a different school. Late in my senior year of high school, that coach left and went to another North Carolina College. I wasn’t sold on that school so my high school coach told me to check out Campbell University while I was in North Carolina. After thinking I was lost among the tobacco and cotton fields, we pulled onto campus and I knew I was going to make Campbell my home for the next 4 years.
2. When did you graduate? What was your major? I graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Trust and Wealth Management with a minor in Financial Planning.
3. How has Campbell prepared you for your career? Campbell is the sole reason I am currently doing what I love every day. The Trust and Wealth Management program equipped me with not only the knowledge, but just the opportunity to interview with banks and organizations that would most likely not have looked at my resume without my Trust and Wealth Management degree.
4. Why did you decide to remain involved or re-connect with your alma mater? I owe so much to Campbell and I love everything and everyone there; however, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have some rough patches. Whether you are 10 minutes or 10 hours from home you can get home sick. You can get overwhelmed. You can get discouraged. I think that is just part of college life. I wanted to pour into future and present students as well as the university to make sure every student that walked onto campus had what they needed to attend and stay at Campbell.
5. In what ways are you involved with Campbell as an alumna? One of the big ways I stay involved is being on the leadership team on the Cape Fear Alumni Chapter. This involves planning events for local camels past, present and future in the Wilmington area. I also try to support Campbell locally when they have sporting events in the area as well as go back to campus when I can.
6. How has volunteering with Campbell benefited you? Being an alumna of Campbell is something to be proud of. Some see being young in my profession as a disadvantage, but because of my Campbell degree, I just don’t see it that way. Clients are often elated to find out I have Campbell roots and even go on to tell me that their kids, grandkids and great grandkids all went to Campbell. No one ever has anything bad to say about Campbell. On a personal note, I was sent to work in Wilmington. I didn’t know a soul before I moved here. The Cape Fear Alumni Chapter really helped me plug in and find a community that I was excited to be a part of.
7. What are you most proud of Campbell for today? I am so proud of Campbell’s growth. I know alumni before me often reference the trailer parks on campus or the law school being in Buies Creek. I even remember the one blinking stop light. I think it says a lot for a school to be able to grow at the pace it has. It really comes down to the staff of professionals you’ll find at Campbell. They really invest in their students. The professors and other staff at Campbell gauge their level of success based on the successes of the lives they are mentoring – and that is powerful. I have had countless Campbell professors reach out to me post-graduation congratulating me on my work successes and simply reaching out to see how I am doing. That is what makes Campbell unique and what makes me proud to forever be a camel.
8. What does being a Campbell alumnus mean to you? Being an alumna of Campbell University means everything to me. I could have ended up at a state school back home in New York, but I didn’t. I could have transferred home after my Freshman year because I was home sick, but I didn’t. I stayed because I saw the value of a Campbell education – employers and my parents saw the value of my Campbell education. There are a lot of people who have invested in me even before Campbell and I will never be able to repay them, but I will say without Campbell University, I would not be in a career that I love and enjoy right out of college. I am truly blessed to be a Campbell alumna.
If you are looking for opportunities to volunteer your time and talents, there are plenty of ways that you can get involved. View our volunteer page for more details: alumni.campbell.edu/volunteer.