Radford families gather for the annual Legacy Alumni Picnic

Radford University legacy families gathered together in Russell Hall during Fall 2019 move-in days for the annual Legacy Alumni Picnic. Hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations, the picnic included free food and engaging activities for the families to participate in to welcome their new students to campus.

The Sharpe family joined in for a fun-filled afternoon of reminiscing about their days at Radford. Carolyn Sharpe ’93 and her husband Jeff Sharpe ’92 are happy for their son, Andrew, to follow in their footsteps as Highlanders.

“We’re so excited for him,” explained Carolyn. “It’s a great campus – very inviting – and there are lots of leadership opportunities. We think it’s a great fit for him.”

Carolyn and Andrew looked at their Radford ID cards side-by-side, 20 years between them. Despite the time passed, their reasons for choosing Radford are not very different: they just love the campus.

Carolyn, now an elementary school librarian, was also drawn to Radford due to its reputable education program. As a freshman business management major, Andrew was drawn to the esteemed business school.

Another freshman, Benjamin Ramsey, is just as excited to start his first year at Radford, though he is already very familiar with campus. He attended his first Radford University basketball game when he was only three weeks old.

“I’ve grown up here, always going to games. My parents were also a big influence in me choosing to go here,” Benjamin said.

His parents, Lara Ramsey B.S. ’90, M.S. ’91 and Sean Ramsey B.S. ’97, M.S. ’06 met in Radford, and Sean has worked at Radford University for the past 21 years. For this family, being at Radford is like being at home.

Megan Arnold ’14 and daughter Erin chatted about the excitement that comes along with starting a new school year.

Erin is starting her first year at Radford as a transfer student, majoring in communication sciences and disorders. On why she chose to attend Radford, Erin said seeing how much her mom enjoyed the University was enough to seal the deal.

“I really love that she chose Radford,” Megan said. “It’s big enough for her to get those varied experiences but small enough for her to develop meaningful relationships.”

View photos from the Legacy Alumni Picnic.