Sustaining scholarships

ECU student honors mother by creating scholarship fund

Perhaps there is no better logistician than a mother. East Carolina University senior Chris Campbell saw it with his mother. She kept the family stocked and supplied, and maintained organization amid the chaos that five children can bring.

That’s why Campbell decided to honor his late mother by creating the Pamela A. Garriques Excellence in Logistics Scholarship Fund.

He said he simply felt compelled to create the scholarship. “It’s a moral obligation on my end. It had to be done. That’s how I look at it,” he said.

Campbell was born in Jamaica, the youngest of five children, and came to America with his mother, settling in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated high school and joined the Marine Corps in 1999. He was on the ground when Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003 and participated in operations in Afghanistan.

“If America’s at war and you’re in the Marines, you’re going. There is no doubt about it,” Campbell said.

He worked as a bulk fuel specialist in the Marine Corps, supplying both air and ground forces with the gasoline necessary for success in combat. 

“That was in the logistics and engineering community,” Campbell said of his job.

That’s why he selected industrial distribution and logistics through ECU’s Department of Technology Systems as his concentration when he decided to further his education.

“It only made sense, as opposed to learning a brand-new field,” said Campbell, who wants to work as a transportation operations manager when he graduates. “I may as well get the credentials in something that I’m already familiar with. It’s like the icing on the cake.”

Campbell retired from the Marine Corps as a chief warrant officer 3 with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in January of 2023. When deciding where to attend college, he researched several universities, but the New Bern resident said ECU moved to the top of his list.

“Before I retired, I went to the education center and they have a lot of colleges over there, but East Carolina was the one that appealed to me the most,” he said. “Then I made a campus visit and did a tour, and I really liked what I saw.”

Rather than take classes online, the New Bern resident drives to ECU each day.

“I wanted the on-campus experience. It’s like checking a box for me,” he said.

As a Marine Corps veteran, Campbell receives money for college through the GI Bill, so he knows the importance of what a scholarship can mean for students. His son, a sophomore in high school, also wants to attend ECU.

“The cost of living is so high,” he said. “I was talking to one of my classmates, and he lives on a diet of Ramen noodles. The main reason he has to live like that is because he’s broke, as are so many college students.”

Anyone can support the Pamela A. Garriques Excellence in Logistics Scholarship or any other scholarship in the College of Engineering and Technology through Pirate Nation Gives on Wednesday. The event is ECU’s annual day of giving in which donors can support student scholarships or other university needs. General donations to the College of Engineering and Technology are accepted or specific challenges can unlock matching gifts to support the college.

“There are a lot of deserving students who lack the resources to obtain the proper education that they’re trying to get,” Campbell said. “I’ve heard horror stories about people dropping out because they can’t afford it. If anyone can, if they’re in a position, donate. You never know. It can be a significant difference for someone.”