Class of ’26 | Jaidyn Ramsey

Jaidyn Ramsey | Raleigh, North Carolina

Not only did Jaidyn Ramsey’s advisor at Campbell remember her name right off the bat, but even knew the unique spelling as well. It’s the little things that attracted Ramsey, a state-qualifying sprinter in high school who’ll run for the Camels over the next four years.

“Family is a big thing for me, so just being a part of a true community here and knowing my professors will know who I am, that’s important,” she says.

Track titles are a goal for Ramsey, but academically, she’s got her eyes on law school in 2026. She’s also ready to be a leader, whether it’s in the classroom or on the track.

“I had a nickname in high school — they called me ‘Mama,’ because I just like to be there for people and take care of them,” she says. “I was captain of my track team as a freshman, and I earned the respect of my teammates because I cared so much about each of them. I hope to earn that same respect here.”

These stories are only the beginning. For this edition of Campbell Magazine, they’re an introduction to 12 students —chosen randomly during the third of four summer orientations hosted on the main campus this year — and a documentation of expectations heading into a four-year college journey.

All 12 agreed to give us more than just the 20 minutes it took to talk and take a few photos back in June. They’re allowing us to check in over the next four years to help chronicle their Campbell experience. And they’ve all agreed to sit down with us again in May 2026 to share their updated stories (and take a few more photos). In order to tell a story of growth and maturation, it’s best to start at the very beginning.

These interviews revealed a heightened sense of hope for a group whose high school careers were defined and marred by a global pandemic. Online classes became the norm, and many of their gatherings and social events were masked or socially distanced. Proms, athletic events and milestone ceremonies were either canceled, altered or virtual.

“Man is, by nature, a social animal,” Aristotle once wrote. Second to earning a degree and starting a career, this class is eager to connect socially with their peers and become part of an “experience” and a community that they mostly missed out on in high school.

It’s our hope that all 12 of these students join us again in four years to tell us all about their Campbell experience. We’re confident that those who do will return older, wiser, more confident and ready to take on the world.

We’re excited to tell these stories. See you in 2026.