Taylor Maki joined the Honors College in June 2024 and serves as the student engagement and recruitment coordinator. In this position, Taylor focuses on creating meaningful experiences for student involvement while supporting recruitment and outreach efforts. Through her work, Taylor helps cultivate a dynamic and inclusive Honors College community. In this Q&A, Taylor shares more about her role and journey with the Honors College, and what motivates them in their work.
Q: What is your role in the Honors College?
I am the primary recruitment person for the Honors College, supporting our daily visits run by our wonderful HC Ambassadors, speaking at recruitment events on campus, online, or elsewhere and connecting with many other colleges at OSU to increase the number of students from each academic area. I also play a big role in Honors College events, helping with things as large as the Summer Read program and HC fall fest, but also smaller scale events, especially through supporting the Honors College Student Association (HCSA) as one of their advisors!
Q: What's one project or initiative you've worked on that you're especially proud of?
This summer incoming HC students read "I Never Thought of it That Way" by Mónica Guzmán. Then, this November we partnered with the College of Business Discourse Program to practice what was shared in the book. Students were given an open, safe space to debate "When is Political Violence Justified?" and heard from a mix of COB and HC students who shared different opinions with the group, then student participants could talk back and forth with them. Students took time to discuss what they would personally define as "political violence," and I was really moved by how involved the students were. The room was packed (we had to get more chairs!) and students were ready to dig in, meet one another and engage with opinions different than their own. I also loved running this event with James Taplin and Dennis Adams, who teach the HC Seminar Class "Forbidden Topics: Enter the Speakeasy for Hard Conversations," which I highly recommend to students looking to still fulfill some credits!
Q: What kind of questions can you answer from honors community members?
I can answer a lot of questions! I can share a ton of information about what the Honors College is, how our curriculum looks, all the great programs and opportunities available to HC students and I always love connecting students to our Ambassadors who can share about their experiences, too! While I am not the person that oversees the actual applications/what is in them/the review timeline, I am always happy to answer questions like that as best as I can or connect you with someone who does! I also love answering silly questions, like "do cats have two arms and two legs, or four legs?"
Q: What's something you enjoy doing outside of work?
When I started working at OSU in June 2024, my husband and I had just moved here from Pennsylvania to be closer to his family again. I only ever saw them for a week every year, so I have absolutely loved being able to spend so much time with them outside of work, and not have to take an airplane to do it! My husband and I love watching new shows together, playing games together, taking a little stroll when the sunset is a normal time and we love spending as much time with our two cats as we possibly can!
Q: What's a book, podcast or movie that's inspired you or made you think recently?
Book- "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe, which discusses The Troubles in Northern Ireland. It was my favorite book in college, and I have re-read it a few times! It's now being turned into a show, actually!
Podcast- "The Complete History & Strategy of Costco" by Acquired. My friend introduced me to this over the summer when we were on a road trip together. Acquired looks at major companies and describes how they got to where they are today, and I LOVED learning about the origins of Costco and the "-mart" stores!
Movie- Turnstile: Never Enough was an excellent 50-minute visual album. I am a huge fan of their music, and it was cool to see them take their art to the next level by making a cohesive visual film to accompany the album.
Bonus: TV Shows I have been watching lately- Abbott Elementary (I am Philly born and raised, of course!), Ink Master (something about a competition show that I love!), and Righteous Gemstones... which I don't even know how to describe!
Q: If you had the opportunity to work on an HC thesis today, what do you think the theme or title would be?
I would love to eventually have some focused research on the history of higher education and the intersection of anti-war and social justice movements. I am always amazed by the resilience, persistence and push from students around the world to speak up for what they believe is right and just. Looking at major events in history, of present and past, we see many students mobilizing for change (Kent State during the Vietnam War, the wave of protests following mass arrests at Columbia University in 2024 and there are even examples of this that took place well before the 1900s (even as early as the 1200s, actually!).
Q: What's one of your favorite memories or moments from working in the Honors College?
This past year I had multiple students share exciting life news, like an engagement, acceptance into a dream medical school and even early acceptance into pharmacy school! In each of these moments, the students sought me out intentionally to share the good news, and it reminded me that the work I do is important to build supporting relationships with the students! Oh, and I also love when we host family bowling nights!
Q: What's something you've learned from the HC community that's influenced you?
I have been re-inspired to stay curious. I am just blown away sometimes by the thesis topics and special interests our students have, and when I get to hear them share about these passions either in conversation or in their thesis defenses, it's a great reminder that there is so much to learn still out there, and HC students remind me why I have called myself a "lifelong learner." I highly encourage folks to poke around our thesis library- either in person or online- and see what I mean when I say that our students encourage me to stay curious!
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