Greatness in the Making

My name is Sharicka Anita Faith Taylor and I am a native of Santee, South Carolina but I currently live in Elloree, South Carolina. My parents are Frederick and Rosa Taylor. I have one brother and four sisters. Of the children, I am the third to attend college. I graduated in the Top Ten of my class from Lake Marion High School in Santee, SC. While in high school, I was a member of the Beta Club, a member of College Summit, a member of the step team, and ranked Captain in Junior ROTC. During high school I also was a part of Upward Bound program and the Educational Talent Search program of Claflin University. Through the Junior ROTC program I participated in numerous community service activities. I put together and distributed food baskets to the citizens in the Holly Hill community, I was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, I helped organized a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and I also participated in highway clean ups. Though I had great teachers and experiences in high school, it was my fourth grade teacher that inspired me to become teacher. She displayed a passion for teaching like no other. She went that extra mile to make sure that all of her students succeeded whether it was staying late after school or helping her students on the weekends. She got to know each student so that she could adequately meet their needs. The word "can't" was not in her dictionary and was therefore not allowed to be spoken in the classroom. She saw potential in me and pushed me to do my very best, and I did, and I continue to do so. I decided to attend college because of my goal to become a teacher. Not only that, I also know there are more job opportunities available for people with college degrees. I knew that if I wanted to have a comfortable lifestyle and provide for a family one day, then I needed to take the next step and go to college. I am currently a senior Early Childhood Education major at

Claflin University. Choosing Claflin was not a hard decision for me. I had numerous family members to graduate from the college, it was close to home, and I was offered a full scholarship. From being in the Upward Bound program, I experienced a taste of the college life and to see all that Claflin had to offer. I was quite impressed and decided that Claflin was where I needed to be. During my matriculation, I participated in Kidney Walks, bone marrow drives, tutored at After School programs, assisted at daycares, canned food drives, and others. I am a member of the student chapter of the South Carolina Education Association and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society. Some honors and awards include Dean's List, Presidential Award, and Who's Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities. I also received the Semester of Excellence Award for four consecutive semesters. I was given the opportunity to be a Servant Leader Intern for the Children's Defense Fund Freedom School. I taught a class of ten elementary school students, all males, based on a predetermined literacy curriculum. Also, I worked with the National Professional Development Grant Program, in which I assisted English Language Learners with language acquisition and created lessons and activities to improve classroom instruction. I plan to graduate summa cum laude May 2013 with a Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education. Within the next 18 months, I plan to attend graduate school to pursue an advanced degree in Counselor Education to become a school guidance counselor. I feel that Claflin has fully prepared me to succeed in my career, and has lived up to its motto; "The Claflin Imperative: Preparing Students for Leadership and Service in a Multicultural, Global and Technological Society."