The Gooding Bunch
By: Alexandra Gooding, Class of 2019
Here’s the story, of a busy lady, a homework helper, chauffeur, chef, and wife, who just so happens to be my mother. A Campbell alum too from the class of 1992. She earned a degree in Accounting, and if you thought it ended there, she also manages to bring up three very lovely girls. Two of them have hair of gold, unlike their mother only in hair color, the youngest one in pigtails.
Now, here’s the story of a man named Gooding, who is also a Campbell alum. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration, and also commissioned from the Army ROTC program as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1982. He is a very busy man with work and three boys of his own. They were four men, living all together, but they were not alone.
Flashback to 25 years earlier when the lady met this fellow, on Campbell’s beautiful campus of course! Yeah, and six kids later, and they knew this was much more than a hunch. We’re like the Brady Bunch. In God’s way, formed a family, because without Him we would not be the family that we are today. And that’s the way we all became the Gooding Bunch, and a bunch we are.
Campbell University is the place where the Gooding bunch officially became a hunch. It is pretty obvious that we as a family love what the orange and black represent. Campbell University has always seemed to be a topic of discussion at my home. So much so that my older brother has now joined me here at Campbell. He is a trust and wealth management major who also is a member of Campbell’s ROTC program. My parents were always telling us how Campbell is such a wonderful school where small miracles take place. For this reason, I just had to come and see for myself what all this greatness was about. The journey to make it to where I am now has been nothing short of easy, but with the help of my caring parents, they have helped turn the impossible, into a possibility.
About 37 some years ago, my father left his hometown of Kinston to come see what the Creek had to offer. He graduated with a degree in 1983, moved on to other things and then back to North Carolina in 1991. Consequently, he returned to Campbell to accept an RD position. It was during a fall orientation that my dad met his wife to be. Well, I guess you could say it was love at first sight. Twenty-five years later they are still in love and proud supporters of the orange and black.
My mother decided to come all the way from Baltimore to experience the Creek. She transferred in her junior year, and it was during her two years at Campbell that my father and she hit it off. Campbell University brings about many relationships, like the beautiful one between my parents. I am so thankful for the relationships CU has fostered because it has enabled me to be a part of the Campbell University family.
My parents, Carlton and Wynne, have truly shown me unconditional love. From the time I began my journey at Campbell, they have not only supported me financially, but also have offered the encouragement and motivation that I have needed to work toward my undergraduate degree. My parents are as focused on my studies as I am, and they are always encouraging me to take advantage of the many opportunities that Campbell offers to their students to help them succeed. They also have encouraged me to enjoy the best four years of my life by attending sporting events and campus activities. Most importantly though, they have given me the best advice on how to score as many free t-shirts as possible! Well, that is what college is all about, right? Thanks to my wonderful parents, my time at Campbell has been nothing short of amazing.
Without my parents, I would not be who or where I am today. Day in and day out, they never fail to tell me how proud they are. I am so thankful for everything that Campbell has offered me, and what it continues to offer. Campbell is my home away from home and I am so happy that God led me here to be a part of the Campbell University family. My dreams may seem too far away, but I know that with my parents by my side, always pushing me towards success, my dreams will quickly become a reality. Witnessing how God has worked in their lives inspires me to keep dreaming, pushing, and going for my goals so that I can make a difference in this world.