Coker University has always been a part of life in Hartsville. For the Atkinson family, their lives have unfolded in the neighborhoods around Coker University, where the campus has been part of their family story for as long as they can remember. It is a place tied to childhood summers, lifelong memories, and now, to education and careers that continue to shape their futures.

Trey Atkinson grew up in Hartsville and attended Thomas Hart Academy and Robert E. Lee Academy. His early memories of Coker are filled with community events: tennis camps, swimming lessons, and the haunted houses that once drew children and families to campus each fall. Years later, Trey graduated from Coker in 2012 with a business administration degree, completing his program in just a year and a half after receiving three associate degrees and transferring credits from Florence-Darlington Technical College.

He remembers the faculty and administrators who supported him as he balanced a fifty-hour work week with full-time classes. 

“They made sure I had the chance to succeed,” Trey says. “They were great at working with your schedule. If I was going to be a couple minutes late to class, I could email them and be like, ‘Hey, I’m going to be a few minutes late. I’ve got this going on and everything.’ And they would be understanding.” 

Ashley Atkinson also grew up in Hartsville, attending Hartsville High School. Like Trey, some of her childhood memories included attending summer camps that were hosted by Coker faculty and students, and taking swimming lessons with Mr. John Anderson.  These events left a lasting impression on her childhood.  

Trey and Ashley did not know each other growing up, but they eventually met at a Hartsville High School football game after graduating from their respective high schools. 

Today, Ashley is a Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor at Coker. She values her role at Coker to positively shape the next generation of nurses.

“I see every day how important it is to meet students where they are,” she explains. “That is what makes the difference.  We are here to support our students, and there is something special about watching them cross the finish line, which is graduation, and knowing that you played a role in their success.”

Ashley also highlights the emphasis Coker puts on the work/life balance for its employees. If one of their younger daughters is sick and needs to stay home from school, Ashley feels comfortable asking if she can work from home that day to take care of her children.  

Their oldest daughter, Lilly, is carrying the family’s Coker story forward as a current freshman. Like her parents, she grew up in Hartsville, surrounded by the University’s presence in the community. 

Before committing to Coker, Lilly was ready to attend another college in South Carolina and move away from Hartsville. However, during her senior year, she had a “take your kid to work day.” Usually, she’d go with Trey, but since Ashley began working at Coker in 2024, Lilly thought she’d go with Ashley and explore Coker.

Once Ashley had approved Lilly’s visit with Dr. Carolyn Hart, the Former Dean of Nursing, Ashley thought Lilly would hang out in her office, attend a nursing class, and walk around the campus. However, Dr. Hart had other plans. Behind the scenes, Dr. Hart had talked with Dr. Lisa Stockdale, the School of Education Dean, and she arranged for Lilly to sit in on one of the education classes. 

“So, I go to sit down with the Dean of Education,” Lilly said. “I absolutely loved her. She basically laid the program out for me and said, ‘Here’s what you would take, here is how we would do it.’ I knew I wouldn’t get that anywhere else. And now, I literally have an internship as a freshman. Like, not even two months in.”

Majoring in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Lilly has an internship at Bay Road Elementary in Hartsville. Working with a third-grade teacher, she has had the chance to observe lessons and lead small-group math activities. The experience has strengthened her desire to become a school guidance counselor, a goal she plans to pursue after graduating.

Outside of the classroom, the Atkinson family enjoys attending basketball games and various social events. Their younger daughters, Anna Kate and Emma, love visiting Coker to either visit Ashley at work or come hang out with Lilly. 

“Every time I go home, they’re like, ‘Can we go to your dorm?’ ‘Can we see mommy at work?’” Lilly said, laughing. 

As Lilly begins her journey with Coker, supported by the examples set by her parents, the Atkinson family continues to show what it means to be true Hometown Cobras.