Piper Farmer ’26 is Bryn Mawr's First Marshall Scholar Since 1997

In early November, Piper Farmer ’26 wandered around midtown Manhattan, where she'd arrived hours early for a 30-minute interview at the British Consulate. Two days later, she got the call: she was a Marshall Scholar.

Official word went out on December 9 when the government of the United Kingdom announced the 2026 winners of the Marshall Scholarships. Farmer was one of 44 winners out of more than 1,000 applicants.

The Marshall Scholarships support U.S. graduate students' studies at top universities in the United Kingdom. Established in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude for American support during Europe's postwar recovery, the award was named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The very first class, in 1954, included a Bryn Mawr graduate: Phyllis Tilson Piotrow ’54. Farmer is the 22nd Bryn Mawr undergraduate or graduate student to win a Marshall, and the first since 1997.

“To me, the UK-US relationship is about a shared culture and a shared literature, and importantly, the cross-Atlantic work we can do to have the best possible understanding of our shared culture and how it impacts both of our countries today," Farmer says.

Farmer first came across the Marshall Scholarship during her junior semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh, where she met a former recipient and fellow Medievalist who encouraged her to apply. Upon arriving back at Bryn Mawr, Farmer reached out to Fellowships Advisor Eleanor Stanford to discuss where the Marshall could take her.

“Piper stood out from our first meeting for her love of and deep engagement with Medieval literature,” says Stanford. “Her academic accomplishments, her maturity as a scholar, and her serious and unabashed enthusiasm for her chosen field are truly remarkable. While the Marshall is incredibly competitive, it doesn't surprise me that Piper would receive this honor.”

Farmer, originally from Hampstead, North Carolina, plans to spend the first year studying Welsh and Celtic literature for her M.A. at Aberystwyth University in Wales, followed by a M.Phil. in English Studies at the University of Cambridge.

"I'm looking forward to the academics," she says. "Welsh and Celtic studies programs are less common in the States, so I'm incredibly excited to learn more about that field beyond the exposure I've had so far."

She is a Literatures in English Major, with a minor in History of Art and Creative Writing. Her thesis — with the working title, “Strange Steads and Sovereign Shores: Land, Territory, and Conspicuous Absences in The Turke and Sir Gawain” — combines her interest in borderlands and identity with her love for Arthurian literature. 

Farmer first became interested in Medieval literature after taking a class on Chaucer with Professor of Literatures in English Jamie Taylor.

"Being at Bryn Mawr, you're able to form close bonds with your advisors. Especially with my interest in going into academia, that's been really helpful in understanding what that future might look like for me."

Piper Farmer '26

The summer after her freshman year, Farmer reached out to her professors to let them know that she was looking for a job in the humanities. Taylor drew her attention to the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, where she would work on and off until the end of her junior year. Beyond learning from faculty as she worked alongside them, Farmer was able to take a course on the history of bookbinding and become an editorial assistant for her boss's upcoming book.

Farmer is also the co-founder and co-president of Tea Club at Bryn Mawr, as well as the treasurer and a founding executive board member of the Adler Society, the Sherlock group on campus. She's a writer who serves as fiction editor at Moonday Mag, and works in Bryn Mawr's book-mending department.

Literatures in English History of Art Creative Writing