When Dwight Drew ’30 arrived on Guilford's campus last month, he wasn't looking for a sneak peek at college life.

He was looking for time.

Time, after all, is one thing every aspiring dentist needs.

"There’s a lot of school to be a dentist," Dwight says matter-of-factly. "I’m just trying to get ahead a little."

That simple calculation brought the Fayetteville, N.C., student to Guilford Rise, the College's three-week program designed to introduce high school students like Dwight to college-level academics while helping them build the confidence, skills and relationships that can make the transition to higher education less daunting.

While most of this summer’s 13 Rise participants are rising high school juniors and seniors from Alamance, Randolph and Forsyth counties in central North Carolina, incoming first years Alyssa Harris ’30 and Dwight are included in the cohort. Three current Guilford students are peer mentors.

For Dwight, who will play for the Quakers football team this fall, Rise offered something particularly valuable: six college credits before his first official semester even begins.

"Not gonna lie – that was a big motivation for me," he says. "I was thinking of trying to get some early college credits because school and football are already going to take up a lot of my time."

He's already earned college credit while in high school. Rise, says Dwight, simply became another opportunity to shorten the long academic road ahead.

"I know I'm going to get the schoolwork done regardless," he says with quiet confidence. "Being here this summer helps ease the load a little, you know?"

Their days in the Rise program look much like those of any Guilford student.

Each morning begins in the Collaboratory in Hege Library with Visiting Professor Marius Pascale's Philosophy course examining applied and professional ethics in relation to fields such as medicine, environmental science, art, sports medicine/sports management, cybersecurity and business.

Afternoons are spent in an International Studies class taught by History Professor Phil Slaby exploring the historical, social, cultural, political and economic dynamics of some of the major challenges facing the world today.

Dwight especially enjoys the International Studies course because it refuses to leave history in the past.

"We're mainly talking about what's going on in the world right now and how it connects back to history," he says.

Outside the classroom, Rise fills the calendar with workshops led by Guilford faculty and staff, helping students navigate everything from academic expectations to campus resources and college life. The group also ventures off campus together, giving students opportunities to experience Greensboro while building friendships that often last well beyond the program.

"It's getting everybody ready to go to their next step of education," Dwight says.

For someone already committed to Guilford, the experience has provided something equally important: familiarity.

Before arriving, Dwight's understanding of the College centered largely on football.

"I knew it had a rich history," he says. "And I knew that the classes are real personal because of its smaller class sizes."

Now, after living in Binford Hall this summer, walking around campus daily, eating meals with classmates, and settling into a college routine, Guilford has become something more tangible than a recruiting visit.

He's already learning his way around campus. He's getting to know professors before the fall rush begins. And he's experiencing firsthand the kind of discussion-based classrooms that distinguish a Guilford education.

For student-athletes, that early comfort level can be especially valuable. Football practices, travel and competition quickly compress the available hours in a week. Arriving with credits already earned — and knowing how college classes operate — creates breathing room.

The long-term goal remains clear.

Dwight hopes to attend dental school after Guilford. He's considering several options, including the dental programs at the University of Maryland and East Carolina University, having already shadowed a practicing dentist who encouraged him to think broadly about his future.

For now, though, he's focused on the next step.

That's exactly what Guilford Rise is designed to do.

The program doesn't simply introduce students to campus. It invites them into the intellectual life of the College before the semester begins, allowing them to experience rigorous coursework, meaningful mentorship, and the close-knit community that defines Guilford.

For Dwight, the payoff isn't measured only in six college credits.

It's measured in confidence. “Because of these summer classes, I’m going to be a stronger student on the first day in the fall.”