One Family, Six Sons: Two Generations of Scots

Ed Sunder ’92 and Betsy McCampbell ’93 met at Covenant College and married after graduation. The couple stayed near Covenant and homeschooled their six boys. When the 
time came for their oldest, Eddie ’19, to make his college decision, he chose to follow in his parents’ footsteps. Their second eldest, Bennett ’21, chose to follow. Then the pattern continued as Samuel ’24, John ’25, Isaac ’28, and soon Nathan ’30 all followed their brothers to the same thriving college community. 

Ed grew up around Covenant graduates: high school teachers, Sunday school teachers, and pastors. His formative years leading up to his college decision were shaped by the worldview taught at Covenant. Ed was drawn to these teachings immediately while his future wife Betsy, who grew up in Sweetwater, Tennessee, fell in love with Covenant’s campus community upon visiting. While the couple lived around Covenant after graduation, their boys grew up going to Homecomings, attending lectures, and meeting Covenant graduates. 

Their eldest, Eddie, applied to other colleges, but ultimately knew he wanted to be around the Covenant students who he had grown up around. The second son, Bennett, saw the community Eddie had and wanted to be with that community as soon as he could. He ended up cutting his gap year short to attend Covenant with Eddie. Samuel and John watched their older brothers enjoy campus life, attending their brothers’ music concerts, theatre productions, and campus events. The halls where Eddie and Bennett lived became family, and Samuel and John wanted to be a part of that family. Later, the fifth boy, Isaac, grew up staying in his brothers’ dorm rooms and also hanging around students and professors. He knew without a doubt that he didn't want to apply anywhere else. Lastly, Nathan, the youngest Sunder boy, has committed to attending Covenant this coming fall, continuing the Sunder legacy. He admires the daily contact with the people he has gotten to know through his brothers and also wants to be a part of the community himself. 

Betsy says that her boys saw that “the Covenant experience is not just the college experience. The Covenant experience is making life long friends and having relationships that form your Christian worldview and your life.” This has quite literally come true seeing as how each of the adult Sunder men have met their future wife at Covenant so far. The four eldest sons have created life-long friendships through the Christ-centered community, and Covenant also happened to be the place where they fell in love with Godly women. Micaela Shearrow ‘18, Ashe Mejeur ‘22, Sophie Derusha ‘25, and Brooklyn Donatone ’26 all have unique stories that led to their decisions to choose Covenant College and ultimately, to meeting their husbands. 

The Sunder family is exceedingly grateful for the Covenant community that gave them each the unique opportunity to not only pursue academic excellence, but also meet godly spouses and form friendships that will long outlive their college days.