When Bec Cormack ’26 arrived at Guilford College, she knew little about Quakerism. She did not grow up attending Meetings or studying Quaker history. The testimonies and traditions that have shaped Guilford for nearly 190 years were mostly new to her.

But what Bec did find at Guilford was something very Quaker: a place that encouraged curiosity, openness and the courage to step into the unknown.

Four years later, that willingness to explore is carrying her 2,800 miles away.

In September, Bec will move to Portland, Ore., as part of the Quaker Voluntary Service fellowship program, an 11-month experience that places young adults with nonprofit organizations while they live together in intentional community. QVS was founded in the fall of 2012 with Christina Repoley ’02 as executive director. She served until 2018.

Bec will be joined in the program by another fellow, Destini Nyorkor ’26, who will serve in Boston. The two will be among 28 fellows serving in cities across the country.

“I’m super excited,” Bec says. “I think it’s going to be a really cool opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with nonprofits and building spirituality and community.”

Bec, who majored in Music with a recording track and minored in Business, will split her time between two Portland organizations: Western Friend magazine and Friends Incubator for Public Ministry.

At Western Friend, a Quaker publication serving the Pacific Northwest, Bec will assist in communications, networking, social media promotion, editing and magazine production.

Friends Incubator for Public Ministry will offer a different experience, one Bec describes as a “grassroots think tank for the future of Quakerism.” The organization supports creative projects that strengthen Quaker communities, including a recently funded children’s book project Bec expects to help support.

She likes the organization that will come with working at the magazine and the different projects she’ll be assisting with the ministry. “One will be more structured, and the other will be more project by project,” Bec says. “I think it’s going to keep things fun and interesting.”

The fellowships are not traditional jobs. Destini and Bec will receive housing, a food stipend and a modest allowance while committing themselves to service and community life.

For Bec, that sense of community has already been evident before she has even arrived. Quaker communities in Portland are helping furnish the fellows’ house and prepare it for their arrival.

“There’s such a great, tight-knit community of Quakers out there,” she says. “They’re helping make sure we have what we need when we get there.”

One of the programs Destini will be working with is Apprentice Learning, a Boston organization that helps middle school students explore careers they might want to pursue in the future.

“I am really excited to explore Boston with the cohort,” she says. “Quaker Voluntary Service Program is going to be a great transition for me – all the new experiences and people I’m going to meet.”

Bec first heard about the fellowship from another Guilford graduate, Grace Christensen ’24, who previously participated in the program.

“She gave me the spiel, and I thought, ‘What the heck? Let’s apply and see what happens,’” Bec says. “Then things kind of fell into place where I realized this is what I wanted to do after graduation, at least for the short term.”

Long term, Bec hopes to build a career in the live music industry – particularly working with small venues, booking artists, managing events and supporting local music scenes.

She discovered that passion through internships and hands-on experiences, including working with the Eastern Festival of Music at Guilford, where she has been exposed to everything from stage management to sound and lighting.

“I fell in love with the small music scene,” she says. “The options are endless, and I’m excited.”

That willingness to embrace possibility, Bec says, is something Guilford helped cultivate.

“When I came to Guilford, I felt comfortable enough to try lots of different things,” she says. “I don’t think I would have felt as comfortable taking this leap and moving across the country to a place I’ve never lived before without that.”

Although she was not raised Quaker, Bec says Guilford introduced her to values and ideas she wants to explore more deeply during her fellowship.

“I really love the philosophy of the Quakers,” she says. “I’m excited to learn more about that when I’m out in Portland and explore my spirituality in that way.”

The adventure begins with a national orientation in Philadelphia at the end of August before Bec heads west and Destini begins her fellowship experience in Boston.

For Bec, Portland offers another gift: a new landscape, a new community and the chance to live closer to her younger sister, who attends school there.

“I’m looking forward to the nature – camping and hiking and swimming – but also the people,” she says. “Every person I’ve met in the program has been incredible. I’m excited to make lifelong connections.”

The unknown can be intimidating. But Guilford, Bec says, taught her that the unknown is also where growth happens.

“Being comfortable trying something new,” she says. “That’s the main thing Guilford prepared me for.”