Abby Pilgrim, of Ware Shoals, initially intended to enroll at a large university away from home, especially since her parents work at Lander and live just around the corner. Her mom encouraged her to go to an open house at Lander, and once she took a campus tour she realized that it offered everything she wanted in a school.
She loved how during the tour, her tour guide knew a lot of people on campus, students and professors alike. "I realized that if I wanted something more personable that I needed a smaller school," she said. "Within my first orientation I had made so many friends and I knew this is where I was supposed to be."
It didn't take long for her to embed herself into campus life, quickly getting a job with the Academic Success Center (ASC) as a student employee where she worked during her four years at Lander. "She quickly became the heart of the ASC," said Anissa Lawrence, tutoring and supplemental instruction coordinator of the ASC. "When students came into the ASC and had questions, she was always the first to say 'let me help you,' or 'I'll show you how to do that.'" She was recognized during this year's Student Life Awards when she was named the ASC Mentor of the Year.
Outside of the ASC Pilgrim was a member of the Tri Beta National Biological Honor Society and the Lander Baptist Collegiate Ministry, where she was part of the leadership team during her senior year.
Pilgrim graduated as part of Lander's 2021 class, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Although she graduated in the morning ceremony, she was back later, sitting in the stands to share the day with her father, Scott Pilgrim, who also graduated during the afternoon ceremony.
Since graduation, she has decided to stay in Greenwood and returned to Lander's ASC as a tutoring and supplemental instruction coordinator.