My Carolina Experience: Cam Campbell
January 14, 2016 | Football
My Carolina Experience: Cam Campbell
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
Cam Campbell was the epitome of hard work during his time at UNC. As a four-year letter winner at quarterback in high school, who was also a member of the National Honor Society and his class president, he was already strongly versed in what it took to be dedicated on many levels. Though he received scholarship offers to play at a few NCAA Division II schools, when Campbell got word that he would be a preferred walk-on at UNC, granted he had the grades to get in, his decision was easy.
“I remember getting my first taste of Carolina when my family dropped my aunt off for her move in as a freshman. She had always been more like a sister to me and I looked up to her, so when she became a dentist at Meharry Medical College, she gave me something to strive for. Attending Carolina had been a dream of mine ever since. When the time came for me to consider which college was best for me, Carolina was my top choice and becoming a dentist was my ultimate goal. To me, getting that acceptance letter in the mail was the beginning of fulling that dream.”
Coming into Carolina, Campbell knew he had his work cut out for him, but that was no deterrent. His overall goal as an undergraduate was to graduate in four years and experience life away from home. As a pre-dental student-athlete in the Exercise and Sport Science Department, with a minor in chemistry that would be easier said than done, but Campbell's mind was set and he had all the motivation he needed.
He says, “Balancing my academics and my responsibilities for football with my part time jobs, and pledging a fraternity was very challenging. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to live my life without regrets and not look back wishing I had attempted more.
“Personally, I believe that life is all about faith and taking calculated risks. Because of the passion I have for dentistry and the responsibility I take in helping my parents, I made it a goal to earn my own finances in order to assist in putting myself through dental school.
“By acquiring my first job in college as a security officer, and saving the majority of that income for dental school expenses, I have proven to myself that anything is possible with a strong work ethic and strategic planning.
“I set my alarm habitually for early morning workouts, attended class, and returned to the stadium for position meetings and practice almost every day. During season I also had to schedule all of my hours as a security officer during the week, so that meant working 7 p.m.-1 a.m. in addition to my already full schedule. When I added becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. to my plate, the fraternity's motto of 'Achieving in every field of human endeavor' became an essential part of my daily life.”
Amidst his grueling schedule, Campbell made time for a social life and lots of networking, something he found very valuable during his time at Carolina. It was a discussion with an oral surgeon in his sophomore year that encouraged Campbell to become involved with the Undergraduate Student National Dental Association.
The association, which is open to all, was created to increase the number of minorities entering dental schools. The mission of the USNDA is to improve its members DAT scores, aide them in attaining more knowledge of dentistry overall, as well as provide them with opportunities to shadow professionals in the field and visit dental schools.
The research that followed Campbell's initial conversation with that surgeon revealed that the USNDA Chapter at UNC had been inactive for two years, so Campbell took the initiative to not only reactivate the Chapel Hill chapter, but to become its president. “That year, I learned the value of self-empowerment, teamwork, effective communication and the significance of delegating tasks well, which are all essential in the profession of dentistry.”
Thus far Campbell has received acceptance into the ECU School of Dentistry and is waiting to hear back from the UNC School of Dentistry in the coming months. In the meantime, he is scheduling interviews with the four additional schools he has applied to.
He says, “I feel that Carolina played a significant role in helping me mature into the person I am today. Over the course of my time there, I learned the valuable life lessons of effectively and efficiently managing time, how to interact with a diverse group of people, and responsibility.”
By never forgetting what he was working towards Campbell squeezed everything he could have out of his Carolina Experience. Keeping a balanced life athletically, academically and socially was a big part of his experience, but learning that his dreams were unobtainable without sacrifice was the biggest part of his undergraduate success.
“If I were talking to a recruit about making the decision between UNC and another institution of equal caliber, I would tell them my story and reassure them that no matter what their dreams are, UNC will have the resources to help fulfill them as long as they are willing to work. I would tell them to never give up on their dreams while reinforcing the notion that if it were easy, everyone could do it.”