Taylor Benz is a second year AAC scholarship recipient
Taylor Benz of Canton is in her second year at Auburn as a recipient of an AAC scholarship.
“We’ve been going to Auburn football games since I was little,” she says, “and we have friends in Opelika, so we were there all the time.” Her father, Michael, is an AU graduate from the early 1980s. Taylor is shown above at the AAC Scholarship Golf Tournament in June 2009 with her Mom.
Her experience on Auburn’s campus went much deeper, though. “I’ve also been to UGA, Georgia Southern, Clemson and other schools. I like the people at Auburn. They were more welcoming and friendly and wanted to get to know us – I liked that.”
At Cherokee High, Taylor was tapped for the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She was also in the Homecoming Court her sophomore and senior years.
Her experience as a science tutor through the National Honor Society and her interest in biology, physics and human anatomy have led her to pursue a degree in Secondary Education at AU. She says she’d like to teach the science in high school.
She says the scholarship from the Atlanta Auburn Club is a blessing to her and her family.
“My grandma lives with us, and is financially dependent on my family,” says Taylor. “She was diagnosed with breast cancer just a week before I got the scholarship. My dad and I had figured out down to the penny what things were going to cost and what we’d have to do to allow me to go to Auburn. We were already stretching, and it turned out that she’s in stage 3 and needs surgery.
“The scholarship solved our problems – that and waiver on top of it. Now we’re paying in-state tuition, so we only have to borrow for that. That scholarship was the answer to our prayers.”
Although Taylor will not be a varsity swimmer for Auburn, she has plans. “I’m going to do intramural sports,” she says. “I’m going to try to start a dodge ball team - they don’t have one at Auburn.”
War Eagle, Taylor!!