Donors see fruits of their generosity at Scholarship Luncheon

By Chuck Gordon

Jayvis Chitolie was excited to come to Wingate as a freshman but was understandably nervous. He grew up in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and being so far from home was, in his words, "a lot."

It didn't take Chitolie long to settle into college life. Now a sophomore, he's a member of the track and field team, attends a local church, and works up to 16 hours a week with Julia's Learning, making the day go more smoothly for students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"The students I work with inspire me every single day," he said. "They face challenges that most of us don't even have to think about, and yet they show up with positivity, determination and joy."

Chitolie told his story on Wednesday during the annual scholarship luncheon, when donors and scholarship recipients gather to share a meal and get to know each other.

For Chitolie, it was the perfect opportunity to explain how much his college experiences are shaping his future.

"Your generosity doesn't just help students pay for school," he said. "It creates experiences. It opens doors. It allows students like me to find passions we didn't even know we had, to build relationships that change us, and to grow into something greater."

K'Nira Hayes (left) made a point of seeking out Trey Cameron, who established one of the scholarships she receives.

Eighty scholarship recipients and 90 donors ate grilled-chicken salads and swapped stories of their time in college. For Trey Cameron '97, who has established a pair of endowed scholarships, the event is one of the highlights of his year.

"I love coming to these things, especially if I get to meet one of the students," he said.

A couple of years ago at the luncheon, he chatted with Francis Hunley, who, alongside her husband, Charles Hunley, had established a scholarship that helped Cameron get a Wingate educadtion.

"Back in the day, we would write notes to them," he said. "I actually got to thank her in person. To be able to say I was paying it forward really meant a lot to me."

Cameron, a Marshville native whose father was a truck driver and whose mother was a secretary at an insurance agency, wanted to establish a scholarship to help students like he was: an engaged, ambitious local learner who was involved on campus.

After the lunch was over, K'Nira Hayes walked up to thank him. Hayes, who missed the meal because of a class commitment, is a recipient of the Fred Cameron III scholarship, and she wanted to make sure she met the man who established it.

"I didn't think I would be able to come to college at all, but because of your scholarship and other scholarships, I was able to come here without my mom having to pay too much," she told him. "I'm so grateful."

Hayes, a graduate of Merancas Middle College High School in Huntersville, came to Wingate on the Gateway Scholarship, which goes to students transferring from one of six area community colleges. The Cameron scholarship is helping further defray her costs and is helping her to spend three weeks in Mexico with the W'International study-abroad program in May.

Cameron spent a semester in London during his Wingate days, and his eyes lit up when Hayes told him about her upcoming trip. "Fantastic!" he said. "I highly recommend going abroad."

Student Levente Palvolgyi (right) chats with Allen Coleman, son of the late Byrns and Alice Coleman, who established a scholarship Palvolgyi receives.

The guest speaker was a familiar face returning to campus. Suzanne Bostic Philemon '09, '14 (MBA) referred to Wingate University as her "second home." Her parents, Ron and Polly Bostic, taught music at Wingate for decades before retiring in the mid-2010s, and Dr. James Hall, chemistry professor at Wingate for the past 44 years, honored them by establishing the Ron and Polly Bostic Music Scholarship. Philemon recalled how seeing her parents interact with students during her days at the University shed new light on their impact.

"I loved to watch the back-and-forth, the kindness, the playfulness, the tough love, and the relationships they built with students that remains to this day," she said. "The scholarship in their honor to support music students feels so very right. It's the very reason I continue to be a supporter of this scholarship, to give back and invest in the institution and students who helped to mold my entire family while simultaneously honoring the best two people that I know."

Bethel Ekperigha, a senior on the women's basketball team, told the audience about how, as a little girl from a small village in rural Nigeria, she strived to avoid what she could already see as her fate: "Struggle through elementary, middle and high school, graduate, and start having children."

Ekperigha is one of eight children who couldn't always afford transportation to and from school. "I would get notes from my friends and study at home while we would save up for transportation on test and exam days," she said. But she persevered, thanks in part to sacrifices made by her parents, and she wound up finishing high school in Charlotte and then attending Wingate.

The scholarships she receives, she said, are life changing. "It is validation that someone, somewhere believes in you," she said.

"You have inspired me to one day be in your position," she added, "to be the one that sees potential in young people and helps their dreams survive, just like you did mine."

Find out how you can make a difference in students' lives by giving to Wingate University.

April 2, 2026