PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 8, 2020) – Taylor Longshaw comes from a long line of successful women.
Her grandmother, Mary Alice Mathis, overcame the prejudice of the time to get a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University in 1963. Her mother, Jacquelynn A. G. Longshaw graduated in 1991 and is currently a practicing pediatrician.
Taylor ’21 (left) and Jacquelynn ’91 (right) Longshaw.
Now, it’s Taylor’s turn.
Bucking the family trend of health care careers, Taylor is forging a path in business and finance, while keeping the tradition of academic success.
In fact, the drive to seek out new intellectual challenges led to one particular similarity between her and her mother’s experiences at PVAMU: participation in the university’s Honors Program.
Honor Thy Mother
A lot may have changed since Jacquelynn first joined PVAMU’s Benjamin Banneker Honors Program as a freshman in 1987, including the name of the program, but the benefits have remained the same.
“To be among students who shared my dedication to scholarship, leadership, and preparation for further training beyond undergraduate school was exciting for me,” Jacquelynn explained. “Through the Freshman Honors Colloquium [course], we were able to actively engage with different professors, and each other, on a variety of subjects to expand our thinking.”
Taylor echoes her mother’s sentiments about the quality of the program for meeting like-minded individuals. “After [taking my] first Honors Colloquium course, I knew I would be able to find a supportive environment not only in the Honors Program staff but among my peers as well.”
Entering PVAMU as honors students was a natural continuation of the academic success each had achieved while in high school.
Jacquelynn chose to attend the High School for Health Professions in Houston, rather than her neighborhood high school, which proved to be the start of a highly successful career.
“As a member of the Honors Program, I was strongly encouraged to participate in, and excel in, the most challenging courses offered at PVAMU,” she remarked. “I entered Prairie View, wanting to become a physician. I graduated from Prairie View with a full four-year scholarship secured to medical school.”
Taylor spoke to how the Honors Program was a natural choice for her as well, saying, “In making the transition from high school to college, I decided that the Honors Program would encourage my high academic goals as well as support my endeavors outside of the traditional classroom. It has also always been imperative for me to surround myself with like-minded individuals.”
Success Begets Success
This mother-daughter duo didn’t limit their Honors Program activities to the school year — they made success a year-round habit.
“The summer before entering my freshman year at Prairie View, I attended the Business Scholars Summer Program. This six-week scholarship program geared toward business majors allowed me to begin my major-oriented classes and ultimately get a head start on college life,” said Taylor.
She elaborated on how the program shaped her path. “Coming into the Honors Program, I was a marketing major. I declared marketing after completing some advertising courses in high school that sparked my interest in the creative side of business. However, I changed my major this past summer after interning with AT&T. I decided to make the switch to finance because I realized that I enjoyed the analysis aspect and ‘crunching the numbers’ for the different advertisements far more than the launching of ideas. The two do overlap, and I still wanted to challenge and nurture my ‘creative side,’ so I am continuing my coursework in marketing as it is my minor.”
Her mother’s summers were spent in a similar manner, always with academic and career goals in mind.
“Although I eagerly anticipated summer breaks, from June 1987 through June 1990, I filled six to ten weeks each summer with more academic pursuits. The standards of the Honors Program were such that I was expected to not only represent myself well but also to represent PVAMU with excellence,” Jacquelynn reminisced, before delving into the details of these opportunities.
Every summer held a different experience, but all of them helped solidify her choice of career. From the Premedical Concepts Institute in 1987, to the Summer Program at Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee in 1988, to 1989’s SMART Summer Program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and finishing it off with the MAAPS Summer Program at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1990, Jacquelynn’s career in medicine was an impressive one even prior to medical school.
“These opportunities not only allowed me to broaden my college experience, but they also created excitement to forge ahead with my quest for medicine,” she recalled.
A Lasting Legacy
Taylor’s current successes may shine bright, but there’s no doubt her future is even brighter.
“Through Honors, I have also been granted countless opportunities to speak with admissions officials from different graduate programs and ultimately build up my academic profile. I believe that the Honors Program has taken me out of my comfort zone and given me the tools to succeed in any environment beyond college that I wish to pursue,” she explained.
Her experience at PVAMU not only carried on the family legacy, but it helped define her future.
“Prairie View A&M University is the first college that offered me a full ride. This gesture showed me that PV was fully invested in me and my future,” she said. “The overall preparation for life after college and one-on-one help I have gotten from different faculty and staff here on campus is enough to know that my success is valued here. Prairie View has helped to teach me important life lessons while never failing to nurture my talents along the way. I have visited many other institutions, but the spirit here at PV is unmatched. I am completely satisfied with my choice to attend college here, and I would not trade it for the world!”
Her family, of course, couldn’t be more proud.
“The legacy of academic excellence was instilled in Taylor Longshaw as well,” Jacquelynn beamed about her daughter carrying on the family legacy. “After graduating with high honors from high school, she followed the paths set forth by both her mom and grandmother, to obtain a full four-year scholarship to attend Prairie View A&M University. Taylor currently has a 3.9 GPA and will graduate in 2021 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance Degree. The saying is true…Prairie View Produces Productive People!”
She ended her remarks with the full legacy lineage:
“Mary Alice Mathis Guillory (Jacquelynn’s mom), Class of 1963, and retired registered nurse; Jacquelynn A. Guillory Longshaw (Taylor’s mom), Class of 1991, and practicing pediatrician; Taylor Simone Longshaw, Class of 2021; future career to be determined, but a successful career is LEGACY!”
###
By Marley Crusch