Taylor Cruz: Quiet leader

Junior track and field thrower Taylor Cruz is a typical involved Cornell College student.

She has a double major, competes in track and volleyball, and is in numerous campus organizations.

“Taylor is a quiet leader who puts in the work on and off the ring,” notes women’s track and field Head Coach Tashina Steggall.

Cruz is a leader of the throwing team and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Cornell LEADS (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, And Distinctive Service), and participates regularly in activities of the Dimensions Program for Health Professionals.

This Littleton, Colorado, native says being a student-athlete has provided benefits beyond competing: “I have also found a group of friends that are my family away from home.”

Cruz majors in biology and biochemistry and molecular biology. Surprisingly, her favorite course so far has been ART 104 (3D Studio Art). 

“This class allowed me a chance to do something based on creativity when I was in a lot of science-based courses,” she says. “It was nice to work on something that allowed me to express myself.”