Veteran alumna pays it forward after soaking up 'great' college experience

When Tiffany Taylor, BS Criminology, Law and Society '20, enrolled at George Mason University, she expected her college experience to look different than most.

An Army veteran and single parent with three school-aged children,Taylor was responsible for multiple schedules. But, over the next two years, she was still able to capitalize on the opportunities at George Mason-attending classes on campus, getting involved in her program and classmates' projects, participating in internships, and embarking on two study-abroad trips.

Not only did she soak up every minute of the college experience, but today she mentors current College of Humanities and Social Sciences(CHSS) students, advocating for nontraditional students.

"I often say that because I was a nontraditional [student] and had outside responsibilities with my children, a lot of times it felt like I was just on campus for class and I would leave," Taylor said. "But when I sit and reflect on it, I had a great experience at Mason, and I tapped into almost everything that was available."

Originally from New York, Taylor served as an intelligence analyst in the Army for more than seven years. She briefed senior-level commanders and staff for both Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Stateside, subsequent trainings moved Taylor and her family to bases in Missouri, Arizona, Georgia, and finally, to nearby Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

She imagined herself making a career out of the military, but, in 2011, she was forced to medically retire due to kidney complications.

"It was bittersweet having to leave the military and readjust to civilian life," she said. "But I believe everything happens for a reason."

After earning her associate'sdegree at Northern Virginia Community College and working several odd jobs to help her family, Taylor decided to return to school and pursue her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer.

Taylor enjoyed being able takingclasses on campus-both during the day and in the evening. She also appreciated how accommodating her professors in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society(CLS) were with her schedule as a single parent, understanding if she had to miss a class because of a conflict or welcoming and interacting with her two younger sons, who were in elementary and middle school.

Being on campus also gave her access to a variety of programs and projects, including an internship in the D.C. Office of Police Complaints and a role in a research study. She playeda prosecutor in a guilty plea negotiation research study conducted by a PhD candidate in the Modeling Decision-Making in the Legal System (MoDiLs) Laboratory.

She heard about the opportunity from Allison Redlich, Distinguished University Professor and associate chair of Departmentof Criminology, Law and Society, who runs the lab. Redlich served as a mentor to Taylor, opening her eyes to a new career path in her capstone writing class.

"That capstone writing research class on wrongful convictions really opened my eyes and changed the whole trajectory of my law career and future," said Taylor, who originally wanted to pursue entertainment law. "It just geared me toward public interest."

Taylor's curiosity, willingness to learn, and desire to improve made her an ideal student, Redlich said. The two stay in contact,with Taylor often reaching out to her former professor for advice or help on her writing.

"She had very clear career goals, and she did so much to achieve those goals even when life throws you a bunch of curves," Redlich said. "She just kept going. I always found that extremely impressive."

But perhaps just as impactful as her program was the opportunity to study overseas. A visit from members of George Mason's Global Education Office to one of Taylor's classes showed her that studying abroad was a possibility.

Over the holiday break two years in a row, and with her parents able to watch her children, she participated in two three-week experiences. First, she went to Tanzania and Zanzibar for a course on human trafficking and modern-day slavery. The next year, she traveled to Germany, Hungary, and Austria for a course on post-war and justice that focused on art recovery after the Nuremberg Trials.

On the heels of challenging medical issues, in what she described as an emotional time in her life, Taylor called the trips "life-changing" and expressed gratitude toward the Veteran Affairs scholarships she received to help pay for the trip.

Now, she looks to give back as she starts the next chapter of her career. She graduated from law school at Drexel University in Philadelphia in May and recently took the uniform bar examination with aspirations to practice law in the Washington, D.C.,metropolitan area, perhaps as a public defender.

"I'm a big advocate for nontraditional students and older individuals going back to school, individuals like myself, from underserved or impoverished neighborhoods that never would have thought they could have gone to college," said Taylor, who serves as a friend of the CHSS alumni chapter board. "The opportunities I have had at George Mason, the doors it has opened... I'm a big advocate for letting people know. I'm very grateful for going the extra step."

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