![\"Corey](\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Corey_HP.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nToday, his own desk at Eagle Landing looks little like his dad\u2019s did back then. His medium of choice \u2013 a laptop \u2013 makes no mess at all. With an artist\u2019s brain, Taylor admits, his computer science major can be a challenge, but it\u2019s a fair trade. As UMW boosts his tech-savvy skills, he\u2019s casting his talents across campus. His graphics grace T-shirts for major Mary Washington events, like Homecoming and the Multicultural Fair. But before graduation, he has designs on one more.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day you see people wearing Devil Goat T-shirts,\u201d said Taylor, who\u2019s tried twice to score the exclusively UMW tradition. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get my work on that shirt. It has to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born on Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, he lived with his military family in Germany before landing in Woodbridge, Virginia. Along the way, he picked up his father\u2019s passion for animation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew to love comic books,\u201d said Taylor, who\u2019s hooked on the genre, from the gritty feel of The Walking Dead <\/em>to iconic Looney Tunes, like Tom and Jerry<\/em>. \u201cWho isn\u2019t? Bugs Bunny is like the best creation in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n As a teen, his own strip, The Misadventures of Squiggy<\/em>, ran in his high school newspaper. In it, a goofy green dinosaur with a pants-less persona provides social satire to the coming-of-age. But Taylor would put his artistic talent on hold.<\/p>\n While he searched for a college \u2013 and a practical major \u2013 a counselor suggested he visit UMW\u2019s Multicultural Fair. The huge annual event touts diversity and talent.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, \u2018If campus is anything like it is today, this is going to be a good home,\u2019 \u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n He joined Mary Washington\u2019s Student Transition Program, which aims to enhance the first-year experience, and soon made an impression.<\/p>\n \u201cHe always showed up with enthusiasm,\u201d said Associate Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Success Tim O\u2019Donnell, who taught Taylor\u2019s first UMW class, Public Speaking. \u201cHe was wide-eyed, taking it all in and loving every minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Taylor launched himself into UMW life. A founding member of The Talons school-spirit group, he\u2019s a RISE peer mentor, James Farmer Multicultural Center volunteer and intramural sports referee.<\/p>\n In class, technology meets talent. With an eye toward graphic design, keyboard buttons are his paintbrushes. Computer codes his colored pencils. PhotoShop his shellac. But that doesn\u2019t mean Taylor can\u2019t reach for an old-fashioned marker now and then. He went through four Sharpies and pulled an all-nighter for an assignment he morphed into a self-portrait.<\/p>\n The California-esque underwater scene, bubbling with monsters and zombies, is composed entirely of a single symbol \u2013 \u201cC\u201d \u2013 for Corey. Displayed at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center and on UMW promotional materials, the black-and-white piece predicts a promising future.<\/p>\n \u201cI always want to encourage students to find the place where their talents and passions meet,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said. \u201cIn Corey, I can see the realization of the dream that I have for all of our students.\u201d<\/p>\nFind your purpose and watch your future take flight. Apply for admission to UMW today. Visit\u00a0https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/admissions\/undergraduate\/<\/a> to learn more.<\/h2>\n