What draws the attention of a California girl to Guilford? For Avery Reuter Lorenzana ’24, it was two things – the four-season climate of North Carolina and the benefits of studying at a small, liberal arts Quaker college. Avery knew she wanted to pursue a career in academics, and was looking for a place where she would be able to do research as an undergraduate student and make connections with the faculty. She found what she was looking for at Guilford College.

“There’s something about the combination of the Quaker values inherent at Guilford and its smaller size that make it very easy to develop relationships with professors,” Avery says. “They are very open with their office hours and good at making things comfortable for students.” Whether she’s discussing indigenous people’s practices and rituals surrounding death or gleaning a critical take on the “Dune” movie sequel, Avery values the conversations she has with professors and the many things she has been able to learn during her time as a student.

Avery admits that traveling to Greensboro from Los Angeles was a little intimidating as a freshman. But living in a different part of the country has brought valuable new experiences. Not only has she explored Greensboro, she also enjoyed taking trips with friends to nearby places such as Hanging Rock State Park. “I’ve fallen in love with North Carolina during my time living here,” Avery says.

That spirit of adventure that led Avery to come across the country to college also sparked her interest in Guilford’s semester-abroad program in Munich. Together with nine other students from Guilford and faculty advisor Dave Limburg, she had the opportunity to not only take four classes but also travel around Germany and other countries in Europe. “I feel it’s important to expose yourself to what life is like in other places, more than just being a tourist for a few days,” Avery says. “Just like living in North Carolina gives me a different experience than growing up in L.A., living in Germany for three months was like that but magnified.”

As Avery embarks on the next step of her life plan, pursuing a PhD in history at the University of California at Berkeley, she knows she is well prepared thanks to her time at Guilford. In addition to the classes needed for her three majors – History, German and Religious Studies, Avery credits the capstone project required of every History major and the opportunity to attend student history conferences to helping her feel confident going to graduate school.

“Being able to attend the conference was a great experience for me,” Avery says. “It gave me the opportunity to network with others in my field and I found Guilford College is pretty unique in the region in providing students the chance to do this higher level stuff.”