For many college students, learning how to balance an academic load and learning life skills away from home is a challenge.  For some, moving into a residence hall, handling such tasks such as laundry and overseeing their daily schedule is a new experience.
 
How about adding a full-time job to full-time graduate studies and – by the way – making the time to train and compete as an all-conference athlete?
 
That's just what Destiny Bailey-Perkins did last year.  The year before that, she earned four all-conference awards and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the long jump while completing her student teaching responsibilities in the spring semester.
 
Time management is not a problem for "Miss B-P" as she is known by her second-grade students at Lafayette Elementary School, located just a short drive north of Buies Creek between the Harnett County communities of Chalybeate Springs and Kipling.
 
For Destiny, the athletic scholarship she received not only allowed her to pursue her dream of competing in track and field at the highest collegiate level, but that financial award made attending college at all right after high school a reality.
 
"My dad's a single dad, he wouldn't have been able to pay for my college," said Destiny, who graduated in May 2023 with a degree in elementary education and started working on a master's degree while using her final season of eligibility last year.  "My scholarship meant the world to me.  I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, it was just whether or not I would be able to go to school for it.  Being able to see my dream in the classroom and on the track come to life was a really big thing."
 
The generosity of Fighting Camel fans, alumni, family, and friends truly makes a difference in the lives of student-athletes at Campbell University.  Through the newly created Women's Empowerment Fund, the Fighting Camel Club's goal is to make that experience even better, specifically for our female student-athletes.  To join the Fighting Camel Club, click here.
 
Pivotal role models
Raised by her father Elijah since age two, Destiny also cites the influence of friends, teammates, teachers, coaches, administrators and mentors throughout her life as playing pivotal roles in her pursuit of an award-winning athletics career, but more importantly, putting her in position to make a positive impact on young people.
 
Throughout elementary, middle and high school and five years at Campbell, Destiny encountered teachers, coaches and professors who made the time to find out who she really was as an individual.  Those moments early on made her want to do the same for the next generation of young learners.
 
"I'm the oldest and have always been into taking care of children, helping them grow and succeed," said Destiny who has four siblings.  "But I always had a couple of teachers – whether it was elementary, middle or high school – that have made me feel like I was seen and I was special."
 
Her third-grade teacher made the adjustment to asking her to show her work to her father, rather than the customary task of presenting it to a mother.  A middle school teacher took time to ask why Destiny wasn't acting in her customary happy manner, which led to a deeper discussion.  Later in high school, a teacher simply asked "what's going on?"  Those instances helped form and secure the belief that she wanted to do the same for others.
 
"Those connections I have with those teachers and being able to see how they made me feel when nobody else in the world knew, and to know that I can have an impact on a child like that, that was a big thing that pulled me into education," she said.
 
Growing up in the Dover, Del., area, Destiny also noticed that most of her teachers did not look like her.
 
"I also didn't grow up with any black teachers," she said.  "That was a big thing for me when I was going into education, I didn't have any teachers that looked like me, I didn't have any teachers that came from a family life that I came from.  Being able to be a role model for a kid like me when I was growing up is a big thing for me too."
 
Elijah insisted that his children be involved with athletics.  Destiny tried, T-ball, soccer and softball before "falling in love with track."  Bailey-Perkins likely began the road to a competitive track & field career during elementary school recess.
 
"We had a 'top walker' award that was given to the person who walked the most laps at recess and won a prize," she recalled.  "I found some friends who would run, so we got the top walker every month from second through fifth grade."
 
That love of running led to joining the cross country team in middle school and competing in the sport each fall through her senior year at Caesar Rodney High School.  After playing basketball in middle school, Destiny opted for indoor track in high school.
 
High School success
She was an all-state sprinter as a freshman but was asked by assistant coach JT Tolliver the following year to start long jumping.  Initially hesitant, Destiny agreed and under Coach Tolliver's tutelage, broke the state long jump record.
 
One year later, after Tolliver passed away due to cancer, her new jumps coach suggested that she add the triple jump.  In her first year of competing in the event, she won a state title.
 
All-state recognition in addition to the 2019 Delaware State indoor championships MVP honor and the Gatorade Delaware High School track and field athlete of the year award attracted recruiters from high-major programs, several of them much closer to home than Campbell's campus – a long drive "eight hours on a good day" south on Interstate 95.
 
A big decision
Again, the influence of a friend (Trinity Whales) and one of her high school teachers, who had attended Campbell before transferring closer to home, made Destiny consider the option of extending her search.
 
"One day, Trinity said, 'it would be so crazy if we went to college together, I think you should look at Campbell.' That night, I got an email from (then assistant) Coach (T.J.) Harris to recruit me.' I was like, 'that's really odd.' Prior to that I had never had any contact with Campbell.
 
"That teacher was one of the teachers I went to for everything.  We were very close," she said.  "For her to be at Campbell and say that Campbell was a really good school, and my best friend to say that she was interested in Campbell, then for Campbell to reach out to me, it was kind of like it was meant for me to be here."
 
A recruiting trip left no doubt where Destiny wanted to continue her education.
 
"When I walked on Campbell's campus, it just felt like family," said Destiny.  "I'm very family oriented. I like having connections with people.  I also wanted to be in a program where I wasn't just an athlete on a team. I felt like I would be seen for who I was, not just being an athlete, being fast or jumping far. We had conversations about what I wanted to do outside of track. We were having conversations about my future and my family.  All the things that were important to me were brought into my conversations while being recruited.  At other schools, I had some connections like that, but it just didn't feel as genuine."
 
Almost surprisingly, despite the distance, Elijah echoed Destiny's feelings about the school.
 
"My dad really liked Campbell," Destiny said.  "For him to say that Campbell was the one, after voicing over and over again that he didn't want me to go anywhere that was far, I just felt like that was a sign that this is where I needed to be."
 
Athletic achievements
As a freshman, Destiny finished fifth in the long jump at the Big South indoor championship before the outdoor season was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic.  One year later, she set a personal record in the triple jump in the league outdoor meet.
 
In the 2022 outdoor season, Bailey-Perkins set personal bests in the triple jump and 100 meters.  
 
As a senior in 2023, she earned four all-conference honors between indoor and outdoor competition and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries in the long jump – all while completing her student teaching responsibilities at Angier Elementary School.
 
With one year of eligibility remaining, she started her graduate studies while holding down a full-time teacher's assistant job.  And, yes, she was an all-conference long jumper both indoors and outdoors in Campbell's first year as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association.  She is even more proud of the fact that she recorded a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom while working full-time and competing in Division I athletics.
 
Despite the distance, Elijah made the time to visit Destiny regularly, and especially each year around her March 21 birthday, sometimes only for a couple hour visit, before embarking on the eight-hour return trip home.
 
A close-knit department
Not only did Destiny have a built-in support system with her teammates, but she also felt an immediate connection to the education department faculty.
 
"I feel like every education professor knows us by name," said Destiny.  "It's so small and close-knit. They know who we are."
 
Again, Destiny made close connections with her teachers, just like she did in elementary, middle and high school.
 
Professor Olivia Wakefield made a lasting impact on a freshman who was attending school eight hours from home.
 
"Mrs. Wakefield got me through a lot of things she didn't even know she got me through.  She's my angel here at Campbell University," said Destiny of her professor who regularly inquired about her needs, whether they were physical or emotional.  "Mrs. Wakefield actually, genuinely cares about people.  Now, I want to be like Mrs. Wakefield for my students."
 
Reaching out to the community
Encouraged by her principal, Elizabeth Hodge, Destiny helped form a mentoring program at Angier Elementary during her student teaching assignment. 
 
After Mrs. Hodge moved to Lafayette Elementary and hired Destiny as a teaching assistant, the school started a "Campbell Character Counts" award, which includes presentation by Fighting Camel athletes.  Campbell athletes also regularly visit the school to read to and otherwise interact as mentors with students.
 
"I want these kids to know they can be more than what their life is showing them right now," said Destiny.  "Being able to see that light bulb go on and that smile on their face knowing that they just broke a barrier in their brain that they didn't know they had, they have so much higher aspirations for themselves."
 
Through the eyes of her students, Destiny sees her younger self.
 
"I was that little kid that didn't think I could do much," she said.  "Now I'm out here living my dream, and able to see my dream unfold before me."
 
Teachers are in demand all over the country and with online degree options, graduate students aren't limited to attending school close to their residence.  Destiny could have easily moved back home to Delaware and be close to her father, who is also admittedly her best friend, to pursue her career calling and further her education.
 
"(My dad) was content that I had a 'family' here," said Destiny.  "Something was telling me that Lafayette was where I needed to be in the moment. I didn't know what grade I was going to be teaching, I just trusted Mrs. Hodge. Last year I was a TA in a (first- and second grade) combo (class), so I got all my first graders (from the previous class). It all just fell into place where I needed to be. I started off with parents I already knew, with kids I already knew.  The first year (of teaching) is kind of nerve wracking, but I'm already comfortable.  Families know that I'm dedicated to my kids."
 
The opportunity
Graduation Day in May 2023 was significant for a number of reasons in Destiny's life.  She not only became the first person in her family to graduate from college, but she set a standard that her siblings were excited to follow.
 
"When I graduated, that was the first time all of my siblings, my dad and my mom were together at once," said Destiny.  "My sister now wants to go (to college) after she gets out of the Army. My youngest brother wants to be a teacher.  My two middle brothers, one of them wants to go to school for photography and one wants to go for engineering.  When I was growing up, I knew college probably wasn't going to be for me, and if it was, it was going to be after I was able to pay for it.  Seeing them not even think about that barrier anymore that means the world to me."
 
In the manner that she now looks out for her second-grade students, Destiny has always felt drawn to watch over her younger relatives.
 
"I like to say I have a lot of titles and while being a teacher is really high up there, my most favorite title in the whole world is being a big sister," she said.  "I've had all my siblings tell me how proud they are of me, how they look up to me, and how I make them feel like they can do anything. For them to be able to chase their dream worry-free because I paved the way for them, is the best feeling I could have in the world."
 
The Campbell experience
As a freshman, Bailey-Perkins was quiet, reserved and admittedly not certain how she would ultimately meet her goals.
 
"I knew I wanted to help kids, but I didn't know how I was going to do it, how I was going to be a teacher," she said.  "Now I can make connections with everyone.  Campbell pulled that out of me. I had no choice but to grow here at Campbell and become who I was. I don't think I could put into words how meaningful being at Campbell was to me.  From the relationships I've made with my friends, coaches, administration, professors, the growth I made on the track and in the classroom, my experience at Campbell meant the world to me. I could not picture a different path for me that would've put me in a position that made me happier than I am today. "
 
Every day, Destiny shares that outlook with a class full of kids, some of whom remind her of a second grader growing up in Delaware.
 
"I go into work early with a smile," she said.  "Being able to be my happy self in a job I love around people I love I really think I'm living the dream!"