“When I was first thinking about college and starting to apply to and visit them,” says Taylor Hammond, ’08, a psychology major from nearby Coshocton, Ohio, “I was pretty adamantly against attending Muskingum, as I thought it was too small and too close to home.” Repeated visits to campus for Scholarship Day and meetings with the soccer coach and team convinced Hammond otherwise – she “started to realize it was a perfect environment” from which to launch into her future.
Following her graduation from Muskingum, Hammond attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where she earned a Master’s degree in social psychology. She also completed an Institutional Research certificate program.
Hammond moved to Columbus after attending Ball State, where she began working in state government. For the last six years, she has been a researcher with the Help Me Grow Early Intervention program, housed under the umbrella of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Hammond says, “My job has evolved over the years so I am continuously challenged and learning.” Her primary duties include data analysis and preparing federally mandated reports, monitoring compliance with federal law, working with IT to fix bugs and enhance the data system, and troubleshooting issues that end users have with the data system.
In addition to receiving an excellent education that prepared her for graduate school and her future career, Hammond also credits the many extracurricular activities in which she participated for teaching her leadership skills and helping her to form lifelong friendships. She was involved in soccer, Student Senate, Greek Life and Muskie Preview (as an orientation leader).
“I can't say enough about the relationships I've built with fellow Muskies, and continue to develop to this day. I can say with confidence that my Muskie friends, who have truly become family to me, will be my friends for life.”