This article was written by Keegan Breuker
Taylor McCullough navigates down the field, maneuvers into position, shoots through the defenders legs, SCORE! Lacrosse isn’t the only thing at which senior McCullough excels. She is not only an outstanding multi-sport athlete, but also thrives in academics. Dedication and determination are just some of her many admirable qualities.
Throughout her four years of high school, McCullough has been a part of volleyball, swim, and lacrosse. Within all of these sports, she was an athlete vital to the successes in every team. Growing up, McCullough was in a very sports-involved family in which her parents were very supportive and involved in both academics and athletics. She joined sports at a very young age and has been a leader in everything she has done ever since. McCullough is an incredible student, having the third highest grade point average (GPA) within the Senior class. She helped the swim team earn top three in the state, the volleyball team earn a conference championship, and the lacrosse team conference championships every year she played. She manages it all with perseverance and drive.
McCullough’s drive for competition on the field translates to many aspects of her life, including academics.
“[Sports] taught me work ethic. Obviously it’s really easy to want to be good at certain things, including academics and athletics, but especially athletics, you can really see your growth. I was just very competitive. And I would say that competitiveness, kind of transferred into the classroom and made me want to be the best and succeed in the classroom as well,” McCullough said.
It is no doubt that many seniors struggle finding motivation to stay active in school and sports, but McCullough manages to not only stay driven, but does it all with a smile on her face.
“I can get burnt out sometimes, but it really helps me to look at the end goal and remember when days are hard, I want to be successful in the future, and this hard stuff I’m doing will make it an easier life in the future. So just kind of keeping that [in mind],” said McCullough.
Athletic exhaustion is a common theme many student athletes experience quite often, and it can become an issue that endangers passion and motivation. With trying to balance impressive academics and remarkable athletics, McCullough is no stranger to feeling burnt out, but she is able to take it and use it to help instead of hurt.
“I would say something that helped me stay in it [lacrosse] and not hate it was remembering how far I’ve come. When I felt like I wasn’t good enough, I remembered this is where I started and I’ve grown so much and obviously I’m not the best player out there, but I’ve really worked hard and I’ve grown a lot and my work has shown. And also trying new things, trying to have fun with it,” McCullough said.
Senior Maddee Teunis is McCullough’s teammate and best friend. She has played lacrosse with her for many years and their friendship has grown through being teammates. Teunis admires McCullough’s ability to lead on and off the field.
“She is very, very athletic and a really good friend and she cares about people in general. For example, she’s always in our [lacrosse] group chats being very, very active, especially for the freshmen and trying to lead them,” Teunis said.
Brian Bollone has been teaching Advanced Placement (AP) Biology as well as Pre-AP Biology for 25 years at Northview. Bollone understands McCulloughs focus on taking the next step, and admires her inquisitive and dedicated nature.
“She’s got definitely the skill set that she needs. She knows what she wants to do with her life. And to go in the areas that she’s planning on pursuing, she’s gonna have to be really dedicated and driven,” Bollone said. “She has great questioning skills. That’s one of the things that they’ll look for, especially in a graduate programs, is to question things and be able to look at stuff kind of at different perspective.”
It is no secret that McCullough is a fierce working individual in every aspect of life. Her drive, focus, and willingness to push through are qualities that every senior should possess as they take the next step, whether that be in a future career, college, or any other important task in life.
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