Hello! I’m Taylor. I’m a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh where I study Environmental Science with minors in Spanish and Economics. I have lots of passions hence the diversity in my fields of study. I really love to learn new things. So far, I’ve learned a lot from this Global Service Learning program that I would have never learned if I didn’t get out of comfort zone. I am from Philadelphia, PA where I live in a full house with my younger sister, aunt, uncle, two dogs and a cat. I’ve lived in Philly my whole life and so coming to Pittsburgh was a switch for me.

Growing up, I worked hard in school to get good grades as I was raised in by Caribbean parents who are infamous for having strict rules and being heavily involved in their children’s schoolwork. However, they influenced my passion for knowledge. They made me recognize the value of education as both my mom and dad were immigrants from Trinidad and Jamaica, respectively, and in their countries, education is not as fruitful as in America. So, they wanted to make sure their kids took advantage of that and made sure my sister and I saw how important learning was. So not only were they pushing me to do well, but I also pushed myself too. In high school, I took many science-based courses as I was sure this was a passion of mine as well as Spanish. I chose to come to Pitt due to the variety of academic departments and courses they offered. As someone passionate about many things, having a wide variety of pathways available for me at one school was important. I love Pitt for that reason.

I did lots of outside of school activities in high school, but the most significant in my high school career was color guard. Color guard is the section of the marching band that spins flags, rifles and swords called sabers and we danced. I met some of my closest friends there and my coaches feel like my godparents who I still look to for guidance. I had some rough times in high school, but color guard was always there for refuge from the chaos of school, home, and everyday life. It caused me to grow out of my shyness as I performed in front of hundreds of people every weekend all year round. I discovered that I had a passion for performing. Since the time commitment to color guard is intense, I am not able to do it here at Pitt. However, I joined the Ya’baso dance team, an African Dance team, this fall, and we perform for events and I enjoy it and have made some friends.

The pathway to my pursuit of an environmental science major was a complicated one. Freshman fall semester, I was a Biology major on the Pre-med track with a minor in Spanish with an intention of pursuing a career as a doctor, which was my dream since I was 5. I love to help people and I love science. However, I realized I had other passions, especially in Spanish. I have been learning Spanish since I was 6 years old and love to speak it. I volunteer at a program called SOY Pittsburgh where we mentor Latinx children, ages 6-10, and help them with their homework and teach them to speak both English and Spanish. The kids are so sweet and really want to learn and get better with their bilingualism.

So, after learning how passionate I was about Spanish, I was an intended Spanish Major on the Pre-med track. Then my world got flipped upside down and I did not want to be on pre-med anymore and was just a Spanish major. I love Spanish, but I needed some science on my belt because I did not feel fulfilled without it. Then, climate change had picked up in the news and I realized how interested I was on the subject and decided to pick up a major in Environmental science. I intend on working maybe in the Environmental Protection Agency and work with hydrology and urban water quality.

Interestingly enough, I found out about this program when I went to Dr. Kyle, one of the instructors for the Puerto Rico Global Service-Learning program and the Environmental Science major advisor, asking her about if I should pursue an Environmental Science major. I was not sure if it was the right path for me due to medial school being my path for so long. During our conversation, she told me about the Global Service Learning Project through the Pitt School of Business where they needed Environmental Science students, and since I also have a Spanish minor, she thought it would be a great opportunity for me to see if environmental science was for me. So far, I think this major is for me.

So, I am in the Puerto Rico group of the Global Service-Learning Program at the Pitt School of Business. We’re on the second year of a ten-year program with the goal of developing an Environmental Research Lab for researchers and students from all over the world to conduct research and give back to the Puerto Rican community. San Juan, Puerto Rico has mangroves that are urban wetlands that protect the community from destruction during hurricanes and other natural disasters. This is the environmental aspect that I was interested in and my role is to assist my group members with the environmental side of the lab development.

With this project, I hope to gain an understanding of what my major truly means to me and if it really is for me. I know that I have a passion for the preservation of the environment which will drive me to work hard on this project. I also would like to use my Spanish skills to interact with the community. I am excited to learn about Puerto Rico and its cultural context from their perspective. I am eager to work with my team and contribute to the Puerto Rican community.