By Maribeth VanHook ‘26

When Sadie Cyr ’29 first imagined her college experience, she pictured two things: a small school and a place far from home. After hearing about Guilford College from a family friend, she decided to travel from her hometown in Massachusetts to see the campus for herself.

The visit was enough to spark something.

“It just felt right,” she says now.

Still, Sadie wanted to explore her options. That lasted until she attended Spring Into Guilford, a series of events designed to introduce admitted students to life on campus.

“When I came to Spring Into Guilford, I was reminded of all the different things that I liked, and all the people who were just so friendly,” Sadie says.

That sealed the decision.

Service at the Center

Since arriving on campus, Sadie has tried to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible — even ones that first appeared quietly in her inbox.

Scholarship announcements began showing up in her email, and one stood out immediately: the Ethical Leadership Fellows Program, which emphasizes community engagement and service.

“I looked into all of them,” she says. “That one felt like a really good fit because during high school I did a lot of community service, and the program is rooted in service as well.”

The program aligns naturally with the values Sadie has come to appreciate at Guilford. The college’s community-centered environment and liberal arts approach have allowed her to build on passions she first discovered in high school, particularly through service and her major in Education.

Teaching, in many ways, runs in the family.

Sadie grew up surrounded by educators, but she hadn’t fully committed to the profession until her senior year of high school, when she worked as a teaching assistant in a fourth-grade classroom.

“I absolutely loved it,” she says.

The experience confirmed that the path she had been circling for years was the right one. At Guilford, she says, the college’s emphasis on small classes and close faculty relationships makes a meaningful difference in the way students learn.

“If I was in a big class of 300, I feel like I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking for help or clarifying something I didn’t understand,” she says. “Here it feels like somewhere I can really grow.”

Pushing Herself in New Ways

Growth has come in other places as well — including athletics.

Originally drawn to Guilford as a swimmer and triathlon athlete, Sadie expanded her training last fall by taking on cycling, an entirely new challenge.

“I think it’s been super fun,” she says. “It’s been a lot of work, and I was totally new to biking, so that was interesting. But I’ve had a really good experience with it.”

The effort paid off. In November, Sadie qualified for the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships in Arizona, a milestone that reflected months of training.

Sadie’s work ethic also shows up in her internship with the college’s Advancement Office. There, she helps organize alumni events — everything from milestone reunions to one of Guilford’s biggest gatherings each year, Homecoming and Family Weekend.

“It’s a really big weekend, and we have to figure out how to connect with the most people,” she says. “So there’s a lot of planning and coordination with alumni.”

The work has given her a deeper understanding of the college community and the network of Guilfordians who remain connected long after graduation.

For Sadie, the sense of belonging that first stood out during her campus visit continues to define her experience.

Walking across campus often means seeing familiar faces — classmates, professors, coaches and friends — and that sense of connection is something she values deeply.

“I’m really grateful for getting to know people and going around campus and seeing familiar faces,” she says. “It’s something I really appreciate.”

For a student who came to North Carolina looking for a small college far from home, Guilford has become something even better: a place where Sadie can grow, contribute and feel part of a community that knows her by name.

Maribeth VanHook is an English major from Madison, N.C.