2025

Leopold’s Reserve, Northern Virginia

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr College, founded in 1885, has played a pioneering role in women’s higher education in the United States. It was one of the first institutions to offer women graduate education and doctoral degrees, setting a high academic standard from its earliest years. This commitment to rigorous scholarship continues to define the college today.

Academically, Bryn Mawr is known for its intellectual intensity and strength across the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and sciences. The college is part of the Tri-College Consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, which allows students to cross-register for courses and share resources. Through the Quaker Consortium, students can also take classes at the University of Pennsylvania, greatly expanding academic opportunities.

The campus itself is often noted for its beauty, featuring Gothic and Romanesque architecture designed in part by the renowned firm Cope & Stewardson. Bryn Mawr’s library system is unusually strong for a liberal arts college, with Canaday Library and specialized collections that support advanced undergraduate and graduate research.

Bryn Mawr is also distinguished by its traditions and campus culture. One of the most meaningful traditions is Lantern Night, during which first-year students receive lanterns from sophomores as a symbol of the passing of knowledge and community. The college has a long history of student self-governance, giving students a significant voice in shaping campus life.

Notable alumnae include Drew Gilpin Faust, former president of Harvard University, and legendary actress Katharine Hepburn. While Bryn Mawr is historically a women’s college, it is inclusive of trans and non-binary students and remains deeply committed to gender equity, intellectual independence, and social justice.

A close friend is an alumnus of the college and is getting a second graduate degree there, so she took me along for a visit when she had classes. It is a magical place. I tried to capture that magic in photographs.