W&L’s Taylor Reese ’19 Awarded FAO Schwartz Fellowship Reese is an English major and studio art minor. 

By Erica Turman
April 25, 2019

Taylor Reese ’19, a senior at Washington and Lee University, has won an FAO Schwarz Fellowship, an intensive two-year, paid experience in the world of social impact that includes focused professional development at leading nonprofit organizations in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia. Reese will intern with the organization Year Upin Philadelphia. Reese is an English major and studio art minor.

Part of her responsibilities at Year Up will be telling the story of the organization in order to grow it, as well as to increase the number of volunteers, donors and board members. She will also mentor several Year Up students ranging in age from 18-24 as they go through the program.

“First and foremost, this opportunity means I’ll be able to make a difference in the lives of young Philadelphians,” said Reese. “I’m excited to get to work helping them learn the skills necessary to be placed in internships with Fortune 500 companies. Being selected for this competitive fellowship has also validated my passion and work thus far — I have been successful helping people, and this organization believes in me enough to allow me to continue that work with them.”

Reese said W&L’s liberal arts curriculum has given her experience and confidence in a wide range of subjects.

“I also think during my time at W&L, I found confidence in my ability to affect change and make a real, tangible impact in people’s lives,” said Reese. “It manifested most with my work with FLIP (First-Generation Low-Income Partnership), and I am excited to continue that at Year Up.”

Reese starts her fellowship a month after graduation from W&L, and while she doesn’t have a lot of time at home in New Jersey before packing up and heading to Philadelphia, she does plan to volunteer at the Special Olympics New Jersey State Games for tennis, as she has done every year since 2011.

Hometown paper: New Town Press, Swedesboro, New Jersey ; High School: Tower Hill School in Wilmington, DE