WCU Stories      November 21, 2024

By Bill Studenc

Nearly 90 new first-year and transfer students at Western Carolina University celebrated the powerful bonds of kinship, tradition and alma mater during an annual ceremony Saturday, Nov. 16, as members of their own families who previously attended WCU presented them with special pins signifying their unique connection to the institution.

Sponsored by WCU’s Office of Engagement, the Legacy Pinning event honors legacy students and their family members during WCU’s Family Weekend. It is designed to offer alumni the opportunity to “pin” their incoming student with a special legacy token denoting their WCU heritage and celebrating the ongoing tradition of Catamount pride across multiple generations.

The ceremony, held in the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center before a crowd of more than 350 people, was originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, as part of activities during Family Weekend, but those events were postponed because of the impact of Hurricane Helene across much of Western North Carolina.

Ada Shelton, a sophomore from Winston-Salem majoring in business management, delivered the keynote address, telling her story of how she came to attend WCU and admitting that she initially did not know much about the university beyond the fact that her mother, Keri, had earned her master’s degree at WCU in communication sciences and disorders in 2000.

Shelton said that she realized during a campus tour that WCU was the place for her, something that was quickly reinforced by friendships with other students forged over a shared passion for outdoor activities, including rock-climbing.

“This is a campus of intentionality. It is full of people who want to know your name, who want to know what you like to do and want to walk along side of you in this process of growing up and going away from home. Whether it’s a professor, mentor, friend or adviser, there is always someone who cares, someone who doesn’t want you to be alone and will selflessly assist you in your pursuit of newfound independence, someone who will remember your name. This is what I admire so much about my school,” she told attendees.

“But this isn’t just me, I know that this is something that my parents, specifically my mom, admires about this school as well. I can imagine that, as a mother, it can’t be easy to send your daughter off to college,” Shelton said. “But I am grateful that my mom got to experience life here at WCU because, as an alumna, she has peace of mind sending me off to college knowing the place I would become a part of very well, knowing that I am entering a place of community, inclusivity and kindness.”

Shelton shared that her mother gets a little sad every time she drives out of Cullowhee, and that she knows she will one day also experience that same sadness when she graduates and leaves a campus that she loves and that became a home to her.

“To the students in this room who have yet to find their place, I want to say that you are not alone. You  will find where your puzzle piece belongs, because this school goes through every effort to be inclusive to every person and every need. Be open to opportunities, talk to new people, and remember you’re standing at the starting line of one of the greatest journeys of your life, so don’t be afraid to get started. And to the parents in this room, I just want to say to you, they’re safe. They are loved, and watched over, provided for and cared for,” she said.

James Hogan, assistant vice chancellor for engagement, served as master of ceremonies for the Legacy Pinning and welcomed students, family members and others to the event.

“Western’s mission is to serve this very special part of North Carolina and to provide accessible higher education. That means we often become the alma mater to many, many first-generation college students. Earning an undergraduate or graduate degree is a life-changing event, and that is incredibly important to our region,” Hogan said.

“But you all aren’t first-generation students. As legacy students, you’re second-generation Catamounts. Some of you are third- or maybe even fourth-generation Catamounts. Many of you followed your parents’ footsteps to this beautiful valley — and some of you followed your grandparents, or an aunt or uncle, or a brother or sister. No matter what, though, you have a special connection to Western Carolina,” he said.

“For our students, it might not be evident just yet, but your family is extraordinarily proud of you. Yes, this is a place where they’ve collected so many wonderful memories — but more importantly, it’s the setting for you to make your own. Yes, this may be your family member’s alma mater — but now it’s your turn to make an impact,” Hogan said.

WCU Alumni Association Board of Directors president John Connet, who earned his bachelor's degree in political science at WCU in 1992 and now serves as Hendersonville’s city manager, acknowledged the many alumni in attendance, asking them to stand and be recognized.

“Students, I want you to know that you not only have members of your family — your blood relatives or those you’ve taken into your hearts — to support you in your learning and living endeavors here at Western, but you also now have your Catamount family to support you as well. In this family, our blood runs purple,” Connet said.

Several members of the Alumni Association Board of Directions were on hand to help facilitate the event, including some who presented pins to students from their own families.

After the pinning of the legacy students, Stacey Miller, WCU’s director of alumni engagement, guided the audience in an exercise to see which student in attendance had the most Catamounts in their family, asking them to count relatives – parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts and siblings – who are alumni of WCU. One family reported a whopping 13 Catamount connections, Miller said.