Over the next few weeks, Gates County Community Partnership will highlight some of its scholarship recipients, emphasizing their college journey and experiences since receiving one of our scholarships. Our objectives are to keep our local community engaged in the success of our youth and to help improve our students’ understanding of college. We recognize how these stories can inspire others and deliver a positive impact on young lives.
Today’s spotlight is on Emma Taylor, a 2021 graduate of Gates County High School. She was a recipient of Gates County Community Partnership’s “NC Promise Tuition Scholarship.” This scholarship funds a full year of tuition at one of the four North Carolina Promise institutions: Elizabeth City State University, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Fayetteville State University, and Western Carolina University.
1. What major or area of study did you choose?
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Forensics, along with a Minor in Creative Writing from Western Carolina University (WCU).
2. What are you up to now?
Currently, I am working at a family-owned funeral home in Canton, NC while I wait to hear back from graduate programs around the country. I am pursuing my Master’s Degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Forensics.
3. How did the “GCCP NC Promise Tuition Scholarship” help ease your transition into college?
The GCCP NC Promise Tuition Scholarship helped me by assisting in my tuition payments while I figured out how to navigate ‘adult life’ and focusing on my studies at WCU.
4. Can you share your experience transitioning from high school to college?
Transitioning into college was a challenging experience to say the least. I moved across the state to Cullowhee, NC, which is roughly 8 hours away in heavy traffic. This meant I couldn’t easily come back to visit family or friends in Gates.
College is typically the first time young adults are truly on their own to face the many trials of their newfound freedom. It’s a place where they can express themselves away from predetermined roles they found themselves in back at home. I was no exception to this. I found myself growing more confident and grew excited about schoolwork because I was in a field I truly cared about.
I made friends within the first two weeks of my classes, and many are still friends to this day. Some days were hard, as I became homesick, seeing what people back home were up to on social media. This homesickness motivated me to keep pursuing what I loved because I needed to make my friends and family proud.
5. What were some of your most rewarding experiences during college?
The most rewarding experience during my time at Western was being able to celebrate academic achievements with friends! We would finish midterms and spend dinner together at the Chili’s on campus, then go back to the dorms to watch movies until morning. It became almost a tradition to take the night to ourselves and push our stressors to the side once accomplishing a big goal together.
6. In what ways have you been able to engage with the community since high school?
In college, I became President of the Anthropology Department’s club. I held this position for almost two years. When I started, no one on campus was interested in a club that hadn’t done any activities in years. I grew a team of superstars in the Anthropology Department, and with their help we were able to create a club that made our department stronger. Our goal was to bring our students together and familiarize them with our amazing faculty! When my time as President ended, we were one of the most successful clubs on campus.
7. What are your life goals/aspirations?
My current goals are short term. I want to pursue my Master’s Degree and PhD. I’m not sure of my career goal. I have been trying to go where the wind takes me. I have been told I would be a good professor, so that may be my future.
8. What advice would you offer to future college students on making the most of their college experience and giving back to their community?
Something I wish I heard while looking for colleges is to not sweat the little things. Little stressors weigh you down. They hurt more than they should and can affect your mental and physical health. While it may be hard at first to shove off all these little things, once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how much brighter life is and ultimately have a better experience.
Another incredibly rewarding aspect about college is the ability to give back to your community. Try looking for opportunities to volunteer. This could be helping at a local animal shelter or soup kitchen.
9. Are there any significant accomplishments or experiences you would like to share?
I had an incredible opportunity at WCU to aid in a research project with one of my faculty members. This study was about a defect in dry bone that was able to be corrected by a spinal surgery known as Vertebroplasty. This surgery provides extra cushioning to a collapsed vertebrae so it functions. Recently, I was informed that our poster presentation gained interest at multiple conferences and our paper is now in the process of being published. In high school, I always said I’d be a published author one day. That day is coming sooner than expected!
10. Is there anything else you would like to share with the Gates County community?
Though I’m no longer in Gates and probably won’t be back for a while, I carry the lessons and memories I gained with me every day. I cannot express how thankful I am for everything I experienced back home; from the friends I made to the teachers who encouraged and inspired me. They helped shape who I am and how I see life even to this day.