Franklin & Marshall College junior Gyana Guity wants you to walk through a bookstore and spot her name on the spines lining the shelves. She wants you to notice her name appearing on the silver screen at the end of a movie she wrote.

"I have big goals," she said. "The thing about being a writer is that the possibilities are totally endless."

Despite these dreams, Guity wasn't sure college was in the cards for her. Growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., as a low-income, first-generation student, she described having frequent conversations with her mother to determine if going to college was financially possible.

"I wanted to continue my studies, but I didn't want to put any burdens on my mother," Guity said.

Inspired by the College's creative writing program, close-knit community, research opportunities and holistic approach to learning, a hopeful Guity applied to F&M.

"It felt like the right place for me to be," she said. "I felt like I belonged."

Guity was accepted to F&M with financial aid support from the Frank H. Granito III '81 & Kenneth E. Pedersen '81 Scholarship Fund.

"F&M really made my dreams come true," she said.

Once on campus, Guity dove into her self-growth journey, seizing every opportunity she could to enhance her writing skills. She declared a major in creative writing; joined the editorial staff of boy-band magazine, an F&M student-run publication; and embarked on a creative marketing internship with Delta Air Lines. Guity is also considering a minor in computer science to further expand her skills and build a bridge to bringing creativity to technical writing.

"I'm constantly learning and growing during my time here at F&M," she said. "I'm a completely different person than I was before college thanks to the classes I've taken, the things I've learned, and all of the people I've met."

Guity said she can't wait to discover how she'll continue to evolve as a person and a writer, and she's grateful to F&M's generous donors for opening the door to these experiences.

"I could never thank F&M enough for giving me this opportunity," she said. "Every day, I work really hard to make everyone around me proud for taking a chance on me.

"I have big goals. The thing about being a writer is that the possibilities are totally endless."

– Gyana Guity '24