Senior Spotlight: Taiya Jarrett ’21

Taiya Jarrett ’21
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
Major: Communication studies with a concentration in public relations; minor in political science
Next step: Pursing a master’s degree in journalism at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

One of the best things about Longwood is the one-on-one interaction I have with my professors and peers. Dr. Isabel Fay has been a huge champion of mine throughout my college career. As an academic adviser, professor and a mentor, she’s helped me tap into my potential as a student and citizen leader—and that’s something I’m beyond grateful to have realized. My most memorable and amazing experience as a student here is attending the annual COMM Career Conference that showcases what people in the communication studies field are doing with their degrees and how they apply what they learned in class to their daily lives.

I completed two internships while at Longwood that gave me the opportunity to hone my writing and social media engagement skills. I was an intern for RVA Magazine and Virginia Living, a statewide lifestyle magazine. I enjoyed getting real insight into the magazine industry, and I look forward to utilizing what I learned in the next chapter of my life.

I have been actively involved and held leadership positions in several student organizations, including the Black Student Association (BSA), The Rotunda student newspaper and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). This past year I was president of our PRSSA chapter. I participated in all these positions to help me develop my social and networking skills, but also to be a strong advocate for what each of these organizations promotes.

While I look forward to being a Hoya at Georgetown, where I’ll be pursuing a master’s in journalism, I’ll miss the close-knit aspect of the Longwood community and everything it embodies. I’m thankful for everyone I’ve encountered who has encouraged me to push myself beyond what I saw as my limit. Longwood has prepared me to be an individual who believes in herself. This is something I’ll always be thankful for when I reflect on my time at Longwood.