Taylor Hurley didn’t have to stray far from her hometown for her college experience, but she has come far in her community and leadership building at Northern Kentucky University.
The double psychology and theatre major grew up in Independence, Kentucky, and immediately jumped into getting involved on campus. She is currently a member of multiple honors societies, including Psi Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta and Golden Key. She is also president of NKU’s Psychology Honors Society.
Taylor has kept herself busy as the president of the Presidential Ambassadors, an undergraduate assistant and peer mentor in NKU Supported Higher Education Project (SHEP), an admissions tour guide and a peer mentor in the psychology department. In the Theatre program, she focused on choreography and was able to find and build community within the School of the Arts as well.
"NKU is a super welcoming place, and nine times out of 10 you’ll make some of the best friends you ever had!"
Throughout her time at NKU, Taylor discovered a love for research.
She was active in her research leadership early on, even since her sophomore year, when she was a research assistant on a study of the effect of nature on pain reception. She says that this was rewarding because it was the first hands-on, in-person research project she was able to experience. This continued love for exploration led her to her Honors in Psychology project.
“My most challenging academic experience, but my most rewarding, has been my Honors in Psychology research project. As part of this project, I was required to come up with and plan a unique research project, which I then had to collect data on and run the statistical analysis,” she says. “Although I have been a research assistant before, I have never had to be the mind behind making a study, and it was a completely new experience to me!”
Taylor plans to return to NKU this fall as a graduate student pursuing a dual master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and school counseling.
What advice does she have for her fellow Norse?
“Broaden your horizons and make friends with a bunch of people all over campus,” she says. “NKU is a super welcoming place, and nine times out of 10 you’ll make some of the best friends you ever had!”
