As a freshman, Guilford wasn’t a hit for Tamryn Herring ’25. At least not at first. She worried about fitting in. She was withdrawn and uncertain. Self conscious. By her own admission, she had a small comfort zone and stayed well within its bounds.

Ironically, it was studying abroad her sophomore year that gave Tamryn the confidence she needed to feel more at home back at Guilford.

“It’s a small campus,” she says. “Sometimes that can be intimidating, because you have the feeling that eyes are always on you. Then you go away and you realize it's not really true.”

Nevertheless, Tamryn has taken full advantage of the international opportunities awaiting all Guilford students. These days she’s a senior, having just wrapped up her fourth study abroad program in the fall, this time in London.

“I love the fact that Guilford makes studying abroad so accessible,” she says. “I had no out-of-pocket costs, other than my plane ticket and maintenance while I was there. The program is completely paid for by financial aid. I’m very grateful for that.”

Guilford recognizes the importance of preparing students to be successful citizens in a 21st-century global society, and supports international study and intercultural experiences as an integral part of the academic, social, and cultural development process of a college education. That is why Guilford is committed to supporting students like Tamryn who want to go abroad and develop global competencies.

Tamryn spent last semester in London as part of the “Arcadia in London” program, a partnership Guilford has with Arcadia University in Philadelphia. Students have classes together at a central location in London, rather than having to become part of a large student body at a British university.

Her previous study abroad programs were three-week intensives, in which she traveled to Mexico with the Psychology Department, Spain and Portugal with the Honors Program, and India with Guilford’s Principled Problem Solving Program, where she and her classmates told and archived the stories of Tibetan refugees. Tamryn and her cohort even got to meet the Dalai Lama.

Tamryn is a Media Studies and English Major, and London is ideal for her thesis research on the Arthurian legend and its implications in race and gender. Her interest in King Arthur began back in high school.

“There was this book that I absolutely fell in love with,” says Tamryn of Tracy Deonn’s best-selling YA fantasy Legendborn (the first in a series). “It’s sort of a King Arthur re-imagining of this Black girl from North Carolina, which spoke to me as a 17-year-old kid.”

The book’s protagonist is a descendant of King Arthur, and Tamryn was intrigued by the contemporary take on the legend.

“I'm doing a comparative analysis of the main character of the Legendborn series, and of King Arthur as he appears in literature and media,” she says. “And I've noticed a lot of differences in just how each protagonist navigates power. And how they navigate [in relation to] their race and gender.”

Tamryn visited Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, a historic site long associated with Arthurian legend. She also had the rare opportunity to pore over primary sources at the British Library, as well.

“I’m so excited to actually be doing this,” says Tamryn. “Guilford has given me a lot of exciting opportunities to learn and meet other people not like me beyond campus. I’m so grateful.”

Want to learn more about Guilford and see the world like Tamryn? Contact Sarah Munro to find out more about the College’s Global and Off-campus Initiatives (study abroad) Program.