There’s more to NCSSM than STEM

From what I’ve come to understand about writing, the hardest part is the beginning.

You’re unsure, constantly second-guessing yourself, and grappling for the right thing to do.

At least that’s been my experience. The task feels daunting, and facing the task of following in NCSSM-Morganton’s past columnists’ incredibly impressive footsteps makes me wonder what my first step should be.

So, maybe the best thing to start with is an introduction.

Hello! I am Hannah Taylor, a 17-year-old senior at NCSSM-Morganton. I currently live in Goldsboro — near Greenville — but I have lived all over the state, from Edenton at the coast to Wilkesboro in the foothills, and many places in between.

I credit a lot of my success to the amount of moving I’ve had to do throughout my life. Since fifth grade, I have never lived anywhere longer than three years. And, to be honest, it used to take a major toll on me. Leaving behind my friends, teams, and schools was very difficult for me when I was younger.

Eventually, as I entered later grades, change became something I no longer feared. Honestly, change was a bit of a comfort coming to NCSSM, knowing that I got to take charge of the change this time.

A funny thing about me is that, originally, I didn’t want to go to NCSSM at all. My older brother had attended the Durham campus when I was in middle school, and it just didn’t appeal to me. The issue was, I didn’t understand it. I had a narrative in my mind about the school, and that was it, there was no changing it.

I have always been a humanities lover: history, English, and social sciences, literally everything. So, the concept of being pigeonholed into a STEM school did not sound like my kind of thing.

That’s where my mistake was. NCSSM is so much more than math and science. It’s a diverse community of learners and subjects, coming together to create something that’s hard to grasp unless you’re immersed in it.

Coming to NCSSM has not only allowed me to develop a greater understanding of those subjects I struggled with, but it’s also allowed me to fall deeper into my love of humanities.

I am currently participating in the Research in Humanities program, working with a small group of my peers and an instructor to craft individual research projects by the end of the semester. Already, this program has allowed me to dive deeper into history and look at it in a different, more analytical way than I’m used to.

Outside of campus, I am currently involved in a remote, international business internship where me and a team of others are helping small businesses in Nigeria with their finances, marketing, and business operations.

Nonacademically, I love spending time with my friends, family, and dogs, vintage shopping in downtown Morganton, listening to music, and watching Carolina Hurricanes hockey.

Most importantly, I love my community. The people I get to share NCSSM with are truly the best part of my time here, and I am so happy to be able to share not only my experience and voice, but also theirs.