My name is Taylor Darnell, a senior, class of 2020 (woohoo!) I am from a little town about 20 minutes outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, called Rural Hall. I am a chemistry major with minors in horticultural science and business administration.
After graduating from Ferrum, I enrolled in the master’s program in aquatic ecology at the University of Florida’s Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, where I successfully defended my thesis in June 2022. plan on attaining my PhD. in either a plant pathology field or bioengineering of plants to be able to maintain my chemical research and merge plant science into my passion for chemistry.
Ever since I was six months old I have been in our yard/garden with my parents, working alongside them. My parents are by far my most influential people in my life and always will be! I have an older brother who works in Raleigh, NC, for an engineering company that specializes in solar and renewable energy. In addition to working with my parents in our yard/gardens at a young age, I started a landscaping company that I solely own and operate separate from my parent’s business ventures and plan to maintain this company until after graduation!
I decided to come to Ferrum because I have the opportunity to swim at the collegiate level and have smaller classes. Coming to Ferrum has by far been one of the best decisions that I have ever made and I do not regret not going to a larger school! Being an athlete at Ferrum is different than any other school because we actually form a family and bond with each other.
