“Why We Give”: Tori & Kerr Collins

For this post, we invited an alumna of and donor to the Caldwell Fellows Program to share a little bit about what inspires her to give her time, talent, testimony, and treasure to the program. This is what she had to say.

The Caldwell Fellows Program is made possible by the generous support of donors. All of the deeply immersive, high-impact programming they provide, the monthly dinner seminars, Urban Adventures trips, Wilderness Expeditions, Global Perspectives trips, and individual coaching and mentoring, exist thanks to the investment of alumni and friends. Here’s why my family chooses to be part of sustaining this transformative program:

Why We Give

The reason we give—especially to the Caldwell Fellows program—comes from the profound impact it had on our lives and the desire to ensure that future students have access to the same opportunities for growth. When I arrived at NC State as a shy, homesick freshman from a small town in Eastern North Carolina, the Merit Awards office and Pat Lee offered a welcoming place to meet people and find support. Dr. Hawkins became a pivotal mentor who pushed me to stretch beyond my comfort zone, and my Fellows peers opened my eyes to diverse viewpoints that shaped my college experience. The program’s financial and alumni support made it possible for me to grow in ways I never imagined, through the Oxford Summer Program, exploring Europe, a wilderness and service experience in Alaska, and multiple internship opportunities. These experiences and the relationships built along the way have lasted far beyond college and have fundamentally shaped who I have become.

My husband, Kerr, saw the impact the program had on me and many of our close friends, and supporting Caldwell Fellows through a Caldwell Fellows endowment became a meaningful way to honor his parents—particularly his father, a lifelong Wolfpacker who, even at 94, continues to serve the university. Our NC State experiences significantly shaped our lives, and we believe in giving back to the institutions that gave so much to us. Our careers and our lives have been guided by the servant-leader philosophy championed by John T. Caldwell, a philosophy we’ve tried to embody through mentoring, service in our church and community, and work in both for-profit and nonprofit spaces. Now, in retirement, we continue to serve because we believe deeply in paying forward the gifts we were given—through our time, our talents, and our resources—so that future students can discover their potential just as we did.

We truly believe that to those who have been given much, much is expected. By regularly giving back to the Caldwell Fellows program, both in large and small ways, we honor the alumni who supported us AND provide opportunities for current and future Caldwell Fellows.

Join Us on Day of Giving

NC State’s Day of Giving is March 25, 2026—a focused day of philanthropy across our university community. If the work of Caldwell Fellows inspires you and it is within your capacity, we encourage you to give to the Caldwell Fellows Fund to ensure we can continue to provide the exceptional experiential leadership development the program is known for. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference in the lives of students discovering their potential as servant leaders. You can learn more about supporting the program by visiting https://caldwellfellows.ncsu.edu/giving/.

Tori currently serves as the chair of the Caldwell Fellows Alumni Philanthropy Committee.