By Taylor Harris, Williams Mystic F’17

At Williams-Mystic, our students develop close-knit communities in the classroom, on the road, and in our student houses. They also become members of the local community.

For Fall ’17 student Taylor Harris, this means continuing her passion for competing in pageants.

Taylor came to Williams-Mystic as a junior English major from Howard University. She has been competing in pageants on and off since she was six years old and last year she competed in Miss District of Columbia USA. Taylor is excited not only to continue her passion this year but also to represent Connecticut and Williams-Mystic along the way. For Taylor, this is an opportunity to give back to a community that, while new, has become her home.

A large part of any pageant journey is associated costs and entry fees. Last year, Taylor supported this cost by working and “cold-calling” on local businesses for sponsorships. This was a challenging but rewarding task in itself. She found that much of her community not only supported her but believed in her success as well. Taylor hopes that our community, although new and unfamiliar to her, will support her in the same way. As an aid on her journey, and a place to express just what this experience means to her, Taylor has set up a GoFundMe account. It is with the help of family, friends, and most of all community that her dream may become that much closer to reality.