LAKELAND, Fla.—Handling a rigorous academic and athletic schedule is nothing new for Southeastern University junior track and field standout Joseph Taylor.
The New Orleans native had to take three years of high school at once to try to graduate and continue his education and athletic careers collegiately.
The school Taylor started high school in was not accredited, so college was not going to be an option graduating from a school that lacked accreditation. He then enrolled in A Different World Academy which is a home school provider to start 11
th grade, and simultaneously take ninth and tenth grades again.
Despite all that, Taylor graduated on time.
"The hardest thing that I've ever done school-wise was a 20-page term paper," said Taylor of taking three grades at once. "It was a lot of classes, but since I had already taken it, it was just a refresh of a lot of things I already knew, but I did spend a lot of hours at school."
Taylor got the urge to pursue nursing as a career when his mother was going through some health issues. There were complications from a surgery she had which resulted in a lengthy stay in the intensive care unit. The complications were so serious that his mother had to relearn how to walk and talk and also had some memory issues.
His mother told Taylor how much the nurses helped her during her stay by singing to her and encouraging her to get better.
"At first I really didn't know what was going on and didn't start to become real until she didn't come home from the hospital and spent months there," said Taylor. "As I got older, we used to go to the hospital for care and finally started to grasp the severity of it all."
Taylor, just eight years old at the time and the youngest of 11 in a blended family felt a calling for care and caring by helping his mother with her mobility and recovery following the hospital stay.
Last season, Taylor was selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, honoring standout scholars that also excel in their sport. Taylor finds balance in life dedicating his efforts to wherever he is. When he's in the classroom, clinicals, or labs, he's all in, maintaining a 3.55 grade point average. When he's on the track, he's a nine-time All-American who just recently won a silver medal in the long jump at the FISU America Games in Mexico.
The motivation for Taylor is two-fold. He wants to make his mother proud especially after all she's overcome. Second, he knows that if his grades aren't where they need to be, he doesn't run. If he doesn't run, that's not good.
"Running keeps me sane and running also keeps me wanting to be better," said Taylor.
The competitive drive you see on the track carries into the classroom.
"I want to be just as good in the classroom as I am on the track," said Taylor. "When I'm on the track, I need to give my all and attention to that; when I'm in the classroom, I need to give my all and attention to that."
Southeastern has almost been a second chance of sorts for Taylor, who initially stayed home to compete at Xavier University in New Orleans.
Taylor struggled being far away from his family and wanted to go back home after a month but knew he needed to stay in Lakeland. The signs were there that Southeastern was where he belonged when all of his previous credits lined up perfectly with the nursing track at SEU after starting as a pre-med major.
"This is my only chance to achieve what I want to achieve and take my life to the next level," said Taylor. "I prayed, cried, and repeated that method and just kept going. Life is going to be hard regardless, so I'd rather choose my hard."
Taylor still has three years of eligibility left and hopes there will be an opportunity to compete professionally when he leaves SEU. If not, he will pursue his RN license and will look to work in a hospital, as a travel nurse, in aesthetics, or in the operating room.
