Taylor Young ’22, a Public Health major with an East Asian Studies minor, has been active both inside and outside of the classroom through her volunteer work and extracurriculars.
“Throughout my time at Guilford, I discovered that I don’t want to be stuck behind some desk doing paperwork. I want to learn people’s stories. My goal is to help those in foster care, especially teenagers. Most youths get lost in the system; they fall between the cracks. I’m trying to get into a position where I can help them.”
By Natalie Whitmeyer '20
Originally from Barnardsville, N.C., Taylor learned about about Guilford when her stepbrother was recruited to play football at the College. “At the time I was committed to another university,” she recounts, “When it came down to tuition, that school didn’t accept my Duke tuition grant. Since I knew [Guilford] took the grant, I applied late and was accepted.”
She also chose Guilford because she liked the small class sizes and knew it would be an opportunity to get to know her professors — and for them to get to know her. “I also liked the newly renovated hall-style dorms,” she says.
Taylor found her community through involvement in a variety of Guilford’s clubs and organizations. She’s currently part of People and the Planet, a new environmental club. Pre-pandemic, when she was a Bonner Scholar during her sophomore year, she was active at the YWCA and the Cottage Grove Center, where she was a site coordinator and tutor.
“Working with the Cottage Grove community made me realize that I want to be hands-on with the job I pick,” she says. To achieve that hands-on approach, Taylor is planning to pursue a career in social work.
In fall 2019, she went to India to study health care with other Public Health students. “One of my biggest takeaways was seeing the health workers talk to their communities about different topics,” she shares. “In rural India, more often than not there is no doctor close to them, so having a health care worker trained in basic health care can prevent illness.”
Taylor notes that the College’s wide array of social-justice and history classes broadened her worldview, too.
“Native American Religion and History of the California Indians, along with entry-level ethics classes, changed my perspectives,” she says. “They showed me that having ethical integrity can be difficult because of biases.”
Why Social Work?
Taylor says she has always been the kind of person who wants to help those in need. She credits her love for God and the support of her family and friends for making her the person she is today.
“I was adopted as a baby, so I already have a passion for the foster care system and the adoption process,” she shares. “It was an easy career choice.”
She’s currently applying for entry-level jobs in the foster-care system to help her gain some work experience. She also sees graduate school in her future. “Maybe in a year I’ll come back to the area and get a master's, but right now I want to be in the field,” she says.
Learn more about the Guilford College Graduate School.
Overall, Taylor wants to help as many kids as she can. “Throughout my time at Guilford, I discovered that I don’t want to be stuck behind some desk doing paperwork. I want to learn people’s stories,” she says. “My goal is to help those in foster care, especially teenagers. Most youths get lost in the system; they fall between the cracks. I’m trying to get into a position where I can help them.”
Are you interested in studying Public Health at a liberal arts college in North Carolina? Learn more about Guilford's Public Health major in this video, or schedule your personalized visit to campus to meet the faculty behind Guilford's innovative Public Health Department. For more information, contact the Office of Admission at 336.316.2100 or admission@guilford.edu.