Service Engagement

Taylor loves to give back to her community and she regularly takes part in service and voluntering opportunities. Below you will find a list of organizations and institutions to which she has donated significant time and service.

  • Steps for Success
  • College Mentors for Kids
  • Ohio State Univeristy Tri P Office of Diversity Mentor
  • Peers Advancing Literacy in Students Mentor
  • Champion Middle Schoool with the OSU Office of Social Change

In addition, Taylor performs service on a monthly basis with a number of her campus organizations. She takes part in serving the Ohio State and Columbus community on the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service that is hosted by the university as well.

 

Global Awareness

Of her numerous travels thus far, Taylor’s favorite experiences abroad took place in Mexico and Brazil. Below are excerpts of her reflections upon returning home to the United States.

Higher Education in Brazil                                                                                                

Study Abroad Course Experience: Access, Equity, and Opportunity 

Bahia, Brazil: March 8-18, 2018

  • My second international trip reached culmination through an education abroad experience in Bahia, Brazil. I spent ten days engaging in educational enlightenment with a focus on higher education and the educational needs of low income and first-generation students. I visited several institutions of learning as well as historical and cultural sites in Brazil. As an individual who possesses an avid love for traveling, Brazil has long been at the top of my list of places to visit. While living in Bahia, I was exposed to the rich culture that Afro Brazilians call their own. This educational excursion was truly an opportunity for me to experience growth. Being someone who is thoroughly invested in the progression of black culture, it was intellectually stimulating to be able to discuss matters of international race and racism with Afro Brazilian collegiate students. My excursions have permitted me to learn firsthand about the multitude of injustices that cross the world many times over.Traveling to Bahia, Brazil with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was a monumentally eye-opening experience! I genuinely enjoyed each aspect of the trip, from walking amidst the vividly painted neighborhoods and hiking up seemingly vertical hills, to interacting with the beautiful children of the city and getting the opportunity to know and love Clara (our tour guide). Every single day was an adventure and I am truly grateful that I was presented with the opportunity to learn more about the Afro Brazilian culture, which in turn, helped me discover more about myself. Our group (consisting of both Ohio State & University of Conneticut students) came together to acquire a deeper understanding of a culture differing from our own.This transformation was substantially significant to my maturation as being.

    Favorite Moment

  • One of the highlights of my trip to Brazil was zip lining from the Tiroleza lighthouse into the sea at Primeira Praia. I have ever felt more free than when I was flying over the water & around the beautiful island of Morro de São Paulo.

Universidad Marista de Mérida

Study Abroad, Independent Research Project                                

Merida, Mexico: Summer Term 2015

  • I managed to catch a glance of its silhouette through the murky green water as I waded towards the enclosure leaving behind the safety of the rocky shore. I shivered as I approached the wooden ladder that looked to be less than sturdy and handed the man my five dollar bill. As I descended into the enclosure it seemed as if both time and the beat of my heart simultaneously sped up. At this point in time I can only remember the event in instances. In one instant, the man was asking if I was ready and in the next I was fully submerged under the water.  When I came up for air the man positioned my hands underneath the cold belly of the beast. I fought to hold on to the wiggling body for what seemed like an eternity before I saw the flash of the camera. And just like that it was done. As I wrapped myself in a towel back on dry land I exhaled and laughed out loud. As I boarded the boat to head back to the mainland I couldn’t help but stare at the photo between my sandy fingers. Here before me was a momento of the time I held a shark in the waters of Mexico. This is an example of one of the many phenomenal opportunities that were presented to me when I traveled to the beautiful lands of Mexico to study abroad with The Ohio State University in the summer of 2016 . Having been born and raised in the relatively small city of Toledo, Ohio this trip was an eye-opening experience in a myriad of ways. Having previously never been out of the country or even on a plane everything was fascinating to me. Not only was I exposed to a culture largely different from my own, but the sheer size of the populations and cities I visited astounded me. Throughout the duration of my twenty-one day stay with a host family I experienced growth like never before. I underwent a mental, physical, and spiritual maturation. While studying the rich culture and tradition of the Yucatan Peninsula and living and interacting with the native people on a daily basis I developed in ways I did not know were possible. I was intellectually stimulated via the first hand exposure to authentic Mexican customs while I simultaneously learned more about my own beliefs, customs, and self.  The sense of enlightenment I discovered has since affected me greatly. I cannot fathom spending the rest of my years stuck in my little pocket of the world. I now yearn to travel to each corner of the earth. I want to push myself further; reach my boundaries and then surpass them. I need to feel the sands of Africa between my toes, climb the peaks of the world’s tallest mountains, and see the smiles of indigenous youth as they dance to traditional music.  As an individual who has an intense sense of curiosity and passion for learning I chose The Ohio State University as my institution of higher education due to the fact that I was confident that it would be a place where I would be challenged to learn, grow, generate change, and aim to expand my horizons. International travel has granted me the ability to do just this. Studying abroad has been a phenomenal experience that has encompassed each of these aspects.

Favorite Moment

  • One of the highlights of this trip was being able to paddle board while on the Isla Mujeres in Cancun.