Taylor Norton is a junior criminal justice major with a corrections concentration from Athens. “I grew up in the tiny town and have been there all my life,” she said. “I was recruited by the track and field team, where I then toured and fell in love with the campus.” Although Taylor no longer runs track for Olivet, she’s grateful that it brought her here.
Taylor is involved with Common Ground at The University of Olivet. “I joined Common Ground to branch out and meet new people,” she said. “During my time in Common Ground, I was vice president for the 2019-2020 academic year. I am going to step down so I can put more of my time into other activities on campus, but I still plan to be highly involved.”
Taylor also pledged to Alpha Lambda Epsilon in the spring of 2020, a Greek literary society on campus. “Joining this Greek society has benefited me and taught me many things in a short time. Knowing that I have more than 40 people always by my side gives me great comfort. It has also led me to meet new people who I love dearly,” she explained. Taylor currently holds the accreditation chair position for the 2020-2021 academic year for Alpha E. She is also a PEER Leader on campus for the Self and Community course, helping mentor first-year students. “I love my position as a PEER Leader because I am able to meet new students coming in and help them through their first semester on campus,” she said.
While Taylor has faced challenges during her college journey, she is thankful for her personal growth. “My first semester I struggled with severe anxiety and depression, but my OC family was there to back me up when I needed them,” she explained. “I have become a stronger person because of it. My experiences academically have pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. Many of the professors here have been amazing at pushing me to be the best version of myself, especially Dr. Regina Armstrong in the criminal justice department.”
Taylor’s passion for the criminal justice field stems from her passion to help others. “All of my life I have wanted to help people, which made me believe I should go into the medical field. After researching different careers and internally thinking, I came up with going into the criminal justice field,” she said. “For my future goals I want to work for Child Protective Services and the foster care system. The system can never have too many caring individuals. It is up to the young people of our country to step up and help create change.”
Taylor has also built close relationships outside of her major and Greek house. “The professors and staff on campus deserve so much more recognition than they receive,” she said. “Joey Shepherd runs the PEER Leader group and is Common Ground’s adviser, and he has helped me become more involved around campus. I know I am always able to go to him with my ideas on how to help my fellow Comets. Dr. Armstrong has helped me raise my academics by challenging me in her classes and reassuring me along the way.
“I would encourage a student to attend The University of Olivet because you are able to build connections with your professors and advisers. It may be a smaller college, but there are still many opportunities to succeed here.”
Learn more about The University of Olivet by contacting the Office of Admissions at 800-456-7189 or admissions@uolivet.edu.
This feature was written by senior Leah Miller, marketing and communications student intern. She is a writing and history double major and a music minor, a field commander of the Marching Comets and a member Alpha Lambda Epsilon Literary Society. After college, she aspires to use her writing to educate people about different cultures and work to normalize embracing differences, potentially in a field related to intercultural relations.
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