Tianna Kidd ’25, a biology and french double major with a minor in physics from Greenwood, South Carolina, has been selected as Wofford’s 2024-25 Presidential International Scholar.
Kidd, the 40th recipient of the scholarship, hopes to journey to Cameroon, Ghana and Morocco, where she hopes to conduct research for her project “Beyond Aesthetics: Exploring Fashion as Identity.”
“I think it’s important to meet people with different opinions, backgrounds and religions,” Kidd says. “I hope to meet individuals who are different from me, ask them questions, get to know them and hear about their life stories.”
Each year Wofford’s Presidential International Scholar is selected by the college’s president as “the student most likely to make a difference in the future.” The scholarship rewards students, who have shown a passion for service learning and global intellectual curiosity, with the funding to conduct independent research in non-traditional locations around the world.
Through her upcoming research, Kidd aims to uncover how clothing choices reflect and shape individual and collective identities within diverse societies.
“Tianna Kidd embodies the spirit of global citizenship and academic excellence that defines Wofford's mission and the purpose of the Presidential International Scholarship,” says President Nayef Samhat. “Her inquisitive mind and passion for cultural immersion made an impression on me, and I’m confident she will use this experience to enrich the lives of others.
Kidd attended high school for two years in Greenwood before transferring to the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, South Carolina.
Since arriving at Wofford, Kidd has been active in a variety of organizations, including creating a dance club and membership in Wofford Women of Color and the Black Student Alliance.
In January, Kidd traveled to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, for an Interim course that blended the study of yoga, meditation and other contemplative practices with ecological awareness.
“It was my first time out of the country, and I absolutely loved it,” she says. “The people were so kind. I hope to go back someday.”
Kidd says she’s already thinking about ways to showcase her research in Africa when she returns to Wofford. She plans to document her findings through photography and storytelling as she aims to capture the essence of individual and collective identities shaped by fashion.
“I am extremely grateful,” Kidd says. “Being named the Presidential International Scholar is a high honor. I cried when I found out. I told my parents, and they were super excited… I think this experience is really going to open my eyes.”