Rebecca Taylor ’19 had a good problem this semester.
The University of Lynchburg senior had a few job offers in the finance industry, including two that sounded like really good opportunities. She asked economics professor Dr. Mike Schnur for advice about which one would fit her personality and skills the best.
Dr. Schnur didn’t just give her an opinion. He got on the phone with friends in the finance industry to learn more about the jobs, their workplace cultures, and the advancement opportunities that Taylor could find in each.
That didn’t surprise her at all. “He’s been an awesome mentor to me throughout the process,” Taylor said, adding that the other economics professors have helped at every step, too. “They’re super gifted. They go above and beyond for students. It’s absolutely incredible.”
After she graduates on May 18, Taylor will be a financial analyst for S&P Global in Charlottesville, Virginia. She chose S&P because number crunching is only part of the job description. “It focuses more on client relations,” Taylor said. “You still have to do analysis, but it’s more person-centric, which in finance is fairly hard to find now.”
Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, Taylor developed an interest in finance while in high school. “I just liked the fact that it’s applicable in any station of life,” she said. “Money drives the economy. It drives geopolitical events — anything you can think of. I’m not money-driven, but I think it’s fascinating how it affects everything.”
She majored in economics with an emphasis in finance. During her sophomore year, Lynchburg started the Student-managed Investment Fund, which allows students to use Wall Street technology to research and purchase the stocks, bonds, and other investments for a six-figure fund from the University’s endowment. Taylor got involved from the beginning, and a year ago she became president of the fund.
Outside of her finance work, Taylor invested in friendships and the community. She joined the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and met her best friends there. “It’s been amazing to have all these friends for the past four years,” she said. “We all have different backgrounds but it’s the same sisterhood.”
Alpha Chi Omega requires 20 hours of service in the community each semester, but Taylor went beyond that and has recorded about 500 hours of service. In addition to working with organizations on domestic violence prevention (a focus of Alpha Chi), she worked on three political campaigns and got involved with the Lynchburg Humane Society.
Graduating this weekend has its tradeoffs. For one, Taylor will miss the opportunity to have class every day and take random classes to explore a new interest. “You can go beyond your course requirements in college, and you can branch out,” she said, mentioning thought-provoking courses in gender studies, history, and music. “I love learning.”
But she looks forward to taking learning into her own hands. “I get to run with the things that I became interested in in college,” like hiking, politics, and volunteer work, she said. “There are so many things that grew out of the classes that I’ve taken, or interests that I’ve cultivated in college. It will be really cool to see the next 10 or 15 years.”
Class of 2019 Commencement Spotlights
‘Solution-oriented, people-driven’ senior hopes to build bridges for inclusion
Marc Propst ’19 wishes that he, as a freshman, could have seen the person he’s become today. Propst said he’s more mature, less stubborn, and better at building bridges than […]
After internship with alumni, senior plans on dental school
Chris Blake ’19 cut his teeth on dental work with the help of two alumni during his senior year. The baseball player and biomedical science from Hartfield, Virginia, interned at […]
Peace Corps next adventure for three 2019 grads
Each year, the Peace Corps receives 18,000 applications and accepts only 4,000 people for service positions abroad. This year, three of the 4,000 volunteers fulfilling their passions for humanitarian work are soon-to-be University of Lynchburg alumni.
Oorah! Graduates headed to U.S. Marine Corps
Shortly after graduating from the University of Lynchburg this Saturday, Renee Banks and Endasia Mitchell will head off for careers in the U.S. Marine Corps.
MSAT student in line for a national research award
On Friday, C.J. Rosenborough will graduate with his Master of Science in Athletic Training. Eight weeks later, he’ll be in Washington, D.C., presenting research for a national conference of strength […]
Hill Award winner ‘in a state of absolute gratefulness’
When Samah Rash ’19 received the email that she had won the 2019 Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior Award she ran down the halls of Hobbs-Sigler looking for someone to share the news with.
Job offer in hand, financial economics major ready for career and lifelong learning
Rebecca Taylor called her professors “super gifted” and said they “go above and beyond to help students.” As she graduates, she said she will miss the routine of having class every day and the opportunity to take random classes to explore new ideas, but she looks forward to cultivating the interests shes developed at Lynchburg.
Next stop, Hawaii: Psychology major heading to first-choice PhD program
After she graduates from the University of Lynchburg this month with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Katie Roderick ’19 is headed to the University of Hawaii to pursue a PhD in behavioral neuroscience.
Lynchburg senior works with hundreds of artifacts in Historic Sandusky lab
In an archaeology lab at Historic Sandusky, Eric Taylor ’19 sifts through a brown paper bag filled with relics from the past. He brushes them gently with a toothbrush to […]
