Accounting Student Recognized with Courage to Climb Award

Wayne Taylor, a third-year accounting major in the Haslam College of Business, was selected for the November 2014 Courage to Climb award. The award is presented by UT’s Division of Student Life and recognizes students who show promise in the areas of research, community service, leadership development, campus involvement or promotion of civility and inclusion.

Taylor is being recognized for his academic excellence and commitment to improving campus life. He first discovered a love for UT through participation in BETS, a program by the Haslam College of Business that exposes high school students from diverse backgrounds to the various fields of business. Since joining Haslam, he has been accepted into the Greg and Lisa Smith Global Leadership Scholars program and the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

Taylor is very involved in campus governance, serving on the Student Government Association as both a member of freshmen council and a senator. He is also a Haslam College of Business and UT Ambassador and has been appointed to the Haslam College of Business Deans Student Advisory Board.

His nominator writes, “Wayne Taylor understands it takes courage and wisdom to use opportunities as a gateway to accomplish his dreams and goals.”

Last summer Taylor received a competitive internship with Ernst and Young in Nashville and this summer will be interning with Dixon Hughes Goodman. His ultimate goal is to start his own firm in a low-income area that specifically serves individuals with disabilities.