CSCC Honors student Jackson Taylor
Cleveland State student Jackson Taylor thought he had it all figured out after he finished Towns County High School in Georgia. The Georgia native planned to go to the University of Georgia on a baseball scholarship and major in engineering, but after hearing about CSCC, he weighed both options and decided on the smaller school in Tennessee.
Mr. Taylor had also planned to enroll in UGA’s Honors Program, so he was happy when he got an invitation to be a part of CSCC’s new Honors Program since he graduated with high honors from high school.
“I love the CSCC Honors Program,” stated Mr. Taylor. “The classes are mostly discussion-based, which is really important to me because I like to talk and share my ideas about things. It’s nice to be able to share with others and have them either agree or disagree, and to have that feedback. Dr. (Victoria) Bryan is a great professor. She makes class interesting because of the thought provoking questions she asks. We get really deep in thought and conversation, but she always makes sure that we don’t stray from the topic and are always on track.”
“Jackson is one of the kindest, most enthusiastic students I’ve ever worked with,” stated Dr. Bryan, Honors Program director. “He has an excitement for learning that is contagious, and he approaches the things he loves (baseball, physical therapy, literature) with a great deal of passion. Balancing the work required of an Honors student with the demands of being a student-athlete is no easy task, but he seems to draw a lot of energy from the work he does.”
Mr. Taylor said he doesn’t regret his decision to attend CSCC over a larger school. “I would honestly recommend CSCC to everyone. I love the small class sizes at CSCC. The core classes are the same as the larger schools, just in a much smaller setting. My honors colloquium class had about 12-15 people in it, and if I had gone to a bigger school, I could have had close to 400. I’m not just a number here. In all of my CSCC classes, you can make an impact, voice your opinion, answer questions and be a good classmate and help out others.”
Mr. Taylor isn’t just involved in the honors program during classes when he is on campus, but also outside of class. “We are a close knit group,” stated Mr. Taylor. “It’s a lot of fun to be a part of this group. We have a good time in class, but we are very tight even out of class. We have board game nights and go do a lot of other fun stuff, too.”
The CSCC Honors Program is recruiting students for the 2018-2019 academic year. Current high school seniors with a 3.5 GPA and a 24 or higher on the SAT, and adult students who earn a 100 or higher on all Accuplacer exams, are eligible to apply for the Presidential Honors Scholarship. This competitive scholarship awards students $1,000 per semester in addition to Tennessee Promise or Tennessee Reconnect. Applications for the scholarship are open through March 4. For more information on the CSCC Honors Program, visit the CSCC website at www.clevelandstatecc.edu.