More than 100 Campbell alumni across six cities reconnected with former classmates and made new Campbell connections through Welcome to the City, held June 6.
Alumni gathered at local hot spots in Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Richmond and Austin for a night of networking and Camel spirit. Many brought donations to Campbell’s Campus Pantry, which supports students facing food insecurity. The Pantry also received a spike in Amazon donations over the past couple weeks through Welcome to the City messaging.
Welcome to the City, hosted annually by the Alumni Association, allows graduates of all ages to reconnect with classmates and expand their Campbell network within their local communities by meeting other alumni in their cities. This is particularly helpful, rewarding and enjoyable for young alumni — many of whom may still be finding their footing in a relatively new town.
Taylor Schmaltz (’19) is a graduate of Lundy-Fetterman School of Business’s Trust & Wealth program who moved with his wife to Richmond, Virginia in 2022 with a job in his field of study. Taylor said at the time, he knew “about four or five” fellow Campbell Trust alumni who worked in Richmond, and that number has continued to grow over the years.
It can be hard for young alumni like Taylor, who now has a 10-month-old child, to keep up with old friends. Welcome to the City offers that opportunity; several of his “Trust Mafia” contacts attended, and he was able to network with Campbell graduates of other backgrounds and ages as well.
“It’s great to get back together and talk about old times, catch up on what life is like now and talk about Richmond,” he said. “This was a good chance to connect with the ‘Trust Mafia’ again. It’s nice to have some built-in community, knowing that we have some built-in experience with people already here. It makes for a smooth transition.”
Individual venue locations for Welcome to the City are decided annually by the Alumni Board of Directors. The Winston-Salem venue, Radar Brewing Company, is a proud Orange Owned business (owned by a Campbell alumnus/alumna). Radar hosted for its second consecutive year.
“We loved supporting an Orange Owned Business,” said Meg Gaito, a Campbell staff member who attended Welcome to the City Winston-Salem. “There is something for everyone at Radar and it is a great location and space to gather friends.”
Director of Alumni Engagement April Ganong said regional engagement is an importance facet of the alumni experience, and it’s sparked by events such as Welcome to the City.
“By meeting graduates where they live and work, regional events like Welcome to the City help create a sense of community and belonging among Campbell’s alumni,” she said. “These gatherings not only provide an opportunity for graduates to reconnect and network but also strengthen their ties to their alma mater.
“As we continue to invest in these events, we envision increased alumni participation in our cities, expanded professional networks, and a more robust support system for recent graduates.”