Honors College Scholar Taylor Jackson: Balancing Brilliance on the Court and in the Lab

Taylor Jackson, Honors College Scholar, SOU Beach Volleyball Athlete, and SOU scholarship recipient, is an exceptional student whose SOU journey exemplifies a commitment to societal betterment, academic excellence, and athletic skill. Taylor is a senior studying biochemistry with a minor in biology, and she hopes to enter the world of medicine and ultimately, would like to become a physician.

Taylor’s first encounter with SOU was not through a typical campus tour, but rather a unique exploration during a 7th-grade class trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As her literature class was studying Shakespeare at the time, the class traveled to the SOU campus, lived in the dorms for a week, and attended plays at the festival. During this time, Taylor got a sense of what the SOU campus was like. This initial spark would ignite a passion for SOU—on the court and in the classroom—in the years to come.

As Taylor navigated high school, her athleticism garnered the attention of SOU’s volleyball program. The alignment of her academic aspirations, particularly in biochemistry, with the university’s offerings solidified her decision. The generous scholarship and inclusion in the Honors College marked the beginning of Taylor’s journey to SOU.